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.

Clean Energy

China’s experimental thorium reactor is ready for testing

An experimental thorium reactor in China could greatly expand the number of people who can benefit from clean nuclear energy.

Kristin Houser

Bionics

MIT’s new bionics center may usher in our cyborg future

MIT has established a new bionics research center to help people everywhere overcome the challenges of disabilities.

Kristin Houser

Food

Scientists make sustainable coffee from lab-grown cells

Finnish researchers are making sustainable coffee in the lab to combat the negative environmental effects of coffee production.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Antiviral reduces COVID-19 hospitalizations by 87%

The FDA-approved antiviral drug remdesivir prevents high-risk people from ending up in the hospital, if given early.

Kristin Houser

Urban Living

“Agrihood” puts a farm in the center of Silicon Valley housing

An “agrihood” under construction in Santa Clara, CA, will give low-income residents access to cheap produce grown onsite.

Kristin Houser

Fixing Justice

“Violence interrupters” combat crime from lawn chairs

Groups of violence interrupters are spending time in dangerous neighborhoods so they can be present to defuse potentially violent situations.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

FDA approves COVID-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk groups (Updated)

The FDA has expanded its authorization of COVID-19 boosters of Pfizer’s vaccine to include seniors and people in high-risk populations.

Kristin Houser

Inventions

New portable blood test kit is cheap, fast, and accurate

A new blood test kit that’s fast, portable, and accurate could help bring better healthcare to people in remote and underdeveloped areas.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Astronaut to break NASA’s record for longest time in space

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei is poised to set a new NASA record for longest time in space, spending about 353 days aboard the ISS.

Kristin Houser

Food

Study suggests preserving food using tech developed for organs

By preserving food with isochoric freezing, we could improve quality and decrease energy usage in the frozen food industry, say scientists.

Kristin Houser