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.

Astronomy

New exoplanet discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri

A third exoplanet has been discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri, and it’s one of the lightest astronomers have ever detected.

Kristin Houser

Engineering

“Fly ash” contains rare earth elements needed for electronics

A new method for extracting rare earth elements from fly ash could help end the U.S.’s reliance on China for the valuable metals.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

Mutation protecting against Alzheimer’s edited into human cells

Scientists have used CRISPR to edit the "Icelandic mutation," which protects carriers against Alzheimer's, into human cells.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Robot kid successfully conveys six emotions on its face

An android child capable of expressing six emotions puts us one step closer to a future in which we share our homes with companion robots.

Kristin Houser

Aging

Why calorie restriction may be the key to a healthier life

A new study suggests that people appear to benefit from a moderate calorie restriction the same way we know many animals do.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

First woman cured of HIV through stem cell transplant

A woman has been cured of HIV through a transplant of umbilical cord blood, which is easier to match to patients than bone marrow.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Inhaled vaccine for coronavirus moves to human trials

An inhaled vaccine now moving into human trials could protect people from more than just the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Kristin Houser

Bionics

Robot fish are powered by lab-grown human heart cells

A robot fish that uses human heart cells to swim has put scientists one step closer to growing full-size hearts in the lab.

Kristin Houser

Autonomous Black Hawk helicopter flies without a crew

The U.S. Army has given a Black Hawk helicopter the ability to complete an autonomous flight without any humans on board.

Kristin Houser

Inventions

New synthetic tooth enamel is stronger than the natural kind

A synthetic tooth enamel that outperformed the natural kind in strength and durability tests could have applications beyond dentists' offices.

Kristin Houser