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.

Urban Living

Free WiFi in apartment buildings helps close the digital divide

The EducationSuperHighway nonprofit plans to narrow the digital divide in America by deploying free WiFi networks in apartment buildings.

Kristin Houser

DeepMind’s AI lights path to faster drug development

Alphabet has announced the launch of Isomorphic Labs, an AI-driven drug discovery company built on research from its DeepMind subsidiary.

Kristin Houser

Fertility

Can testicular tissue restore childhood cancer survivors’ fertility?

A procedure that used frozen testicular tissue to restore fertility in animals could soon do the same for childhood cancer survivors.

Kristin Houser

Activism

Philly Truce app aims to be the Uber of violence prevention

The violence prevention app Philly Truce connects people in personal conflicts with volunteer mediators trained to resolve them.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

You can repair this sustainable phone yourself

Fairphone’s sustainable phone is easy to repair and contains ethically sourced materials — two major departures from the industry standard.

Kristin Houser

Fashion

Nike is betting you'll want to wear Air Jordans in the metaverse

Nike is laying the groundwork to begin selling digital goods in the metaverse, joining what could soon be a multibillion dollar economy.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Pfizer’s antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalization, death by 89%

Pfizer’s antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%, according to early results from a phase 2/3 trial.

Kristin Houser

Big Tech

Data centers need to be greener — Microsoft is leading the way

Microsoft’s plan for sustainable data centers includes more renewable energy, better temperature control, and new construction materials.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Superchargers are no longer just for Teslas

Non-Tesla EVs can now use a select number of Tesla Superchargers — and the goal is to expand that access to the entire Supercharger network.

Kristin Houser

Food

McDonald’s McPlant takes plant-based meat mainstream

McDonald’s McPlant, a burger with a plant-based meat patty, is now available at select locations in the U.S. for a limited time.

Kristin Houser