Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

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Kristin Houser is a staff writer at Freethink, where she covers science and tech. Her written work has appeared in Business Insider, NBC News, and the World Economic Forum’s Agenda, among other publications, and Stephen Colbert once talked about a piece on The Late Show, to her delight.

Prior to joining Freethink, Kristin was a staff writer for Futurism and wrote several animated and live action web series.

Medicine

Half of all vaccines are wasted. A gel could save them.

A new hydrogel that wraps around heat-sensitive molecules could help prevent vaccine waste by keeping them viable at higher temperatures.

Kristin Houser

Text-to-image AIs are changing art forever

Text-to-image AIs that draw whatever you describe in text are making it easy for anyone to create unique art online.

Kristin Houser

Agriculture

Weed’s “superpower” could help feed the planet

A Yale study focused on how photosynthesis works in the common weed purslane puts us closer to engineering crops resistant to climate change.

Kristin Houser

Startups

Startup that created Elon Musk’s foldable house opens a new factory

Elon Musk has confirmed he owns a foldable house made by Boxabl, a startup hoping its manufactured homes can help end the housing shortage.

Kristin Houser

Memory

Smartphones might actually be improving your memory

Rather than causing “digital dementia,” storing important information in a digital device can actually improve memory.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

NASA is sending a robot surgeon to the ISS (Updated)

A MIRA surgical robot is heading to the ISS in 2024 so developers can test its potential to help astronauts survive medical emergencies.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Yale team partially revives dead pig organs an hour after death

Yale’s OrganEx technology has been used to partially revive the organs of dead pigs an hour after their hearts stopped beating.

Kristin Houser

Food

This fermented cooking oil could replace vegetable oil

Zero Acre Farms is using fermentation to create a cultured oil that’s healthier and more sustainable than traditional cooking oils.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

NASA discovers the perfect cave to live in on the moon

A newly identified lunar pit where the temperature is always about 63 F could be the perfect place for NASA’s future moon base.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

Bill Gates-backed startup is building sustainable ACs

Blue Frontier is developing a new kind of air conditioner that requires 50-90% less electricity than the units we use today.

Kristin Houser