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.

New AI “engines” can read and understand on multiple levels

Primer’s new AI tools are expert readers, capable of analyzing long bodies of text far faster — and more accurately — than humans can.

Kristin Houser

Animals

FDA approves first drug to treat lymphoma in dogs

The FDA has approved a medication specifically designed to treat lymphoma in dogs, potentially helping extend the lives of thousands of pets.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

NASA’s new balloon-borne telescope is ready for liftoff

NASA’s new balloon-borne telescope could let astronomers study distant objects with the latest tech at a fraction of the cost of Hubble.

Kristin Houser

Food

Lab-grown foie gras eliminates force-feeding

Gourmey is developing lab-grown foie gras, using stem cells to produce the delicacy without subjecting birds to the practice of gavage.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

CRISPR used to create first gene-edited opossums

CRISPR technology has been used to create gene-edited opossums, a breakthrough that could have huge implications for medical research.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Sculpting robots chisel art out of marble

Italy's Robotor is inspiring artists to pick up Carrara marble as a medium by delegating the laborious carving process to sculpting robots.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

Amateur astronomer discovers new moon of Jupiter

An amateur astronomer has spotted an unknown moon of Jupiter, marking the first discovery of a planetary moon by a non-professional.

Kristin Houser

Inventions

Japan breaks world record for fastest internet speed

Engineers in Japan have set a new world record for fastest internet speed — 319 Tb/s — using a specially developed fiber-optic cable.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Historic Blue Origin flight included four people — but no pilot

A Blue Origin flight on July 20 marked the first time a pilotless spacecraft has flown with a crew consisting solely of space tourists.

Kristin Houser

Inventions

The world’s first needle-free diabetes test

A needle-free diabetes test that measures glucose levels from saliva, not blood, could be ready for consumers as soon as 2023.

Kristin Houser