Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

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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.

Delivery robots get airbags to protect you in case of collision

Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro has added external airbags to its autonomous delivery robots to protect pedestrians.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

You can finally order free COVID-19 tests online

Every American household can now request four free COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government using a newly launched website.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

See a futuristic flying car’s first untethered flight

A prototype of a futuristic flying car developed by Bellwether Industries has completed its first untethered test flights.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Clay from kitty litter pulls methane emissions from air

A new technology for reducing methane emissions in the atmosphere relies on zeolite, a cheap, abundant clay found in cat litter.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Chinese lander finds first onsite evidence of water on the moon

The first onsite evidence of water on the moon suggests that subterranean lunar rock contains larger stores than can be found on the surface.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

New personal robot carries stuff around your house

A personal robot that carries items between different parts of a home is helping people with mobility issues live more independently.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Surgeons transplant pig heart into Maryland man

A pig heart is now beating in the chest of a man in Maryland, marking a huge step forward for xenotransplantation research.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

China builds “artificial moon” on Earth

China’s artificial moon, which uses magnets to mimic lunar gravity, could help with the creation of future moon colonies.

Kristin Houser

DIY

Microsoft posts video of DIY laptop teardown

In response to pressure from right-to-repair advocates, Microsoft has released a new teardown video for its Surface Laptop SE.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Cities are using beets to deice streets this winter

Cities across the U.S. are exploring less damaging rock salt alternatives — and beet juice is one of the most promising.

Kristin Houser