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.

Neuroscience

Neuroprosthesis lets paralyzed man “speak” whole words again

An experimental neuroprosthesis that translates brain activity into words on a computer screen has given a paralyzed man back his “voice.”

Kristin Houser

Ecosystems

Hemp plants pull toxic “forever chemicals” from soil

To rid an indigenous tribe’s land of toxic forever chemicals, scientists are having hemp plants pull the contaminants straight from the soil.

Kristin Houser

Archaeology

Ancient human’s genome sequenced from DNA in cave dirt

Researchers have sequenced the genome of one of the ancient humans who lived in Satsurblia Cave 25,000 years ago using samples of cave dirt.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Watching the moon’s “wobble” may help prevent flooding on Earth

A new NASA study predicts record flooding in the 2030s due to a combination of rising sea levels and a “wobble” in the moon’s orbit around Earth.

Kristin Houser

Oceans

Rarely seen glass octopus caught on film

An underwater robot has recorded stunning footage of a glass octopus, an almost completely transparent cephalopod rarely caught on film.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

CRISPR halts coronavirus transmission in human cells

A new CRISPR treatment that halted coronavirus transmission in human cells could be the easy-to-distribute COVID-19 drug the world needs.

Kristin Houser

Food

World’s first lab-grown chocolate made in Switzerland

Swiss researchers have developed a way to make lab-grown chocolate, using a single cocoa bean to create unlimited chocolate.

Kristin Houser

Disaster Response

Goats are helping California battle wildfires

By having goats eat the dry vegetation that fuels wildfires, Californians can prevent the blazes from spreading into populated areas.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Cholera vaccine made from GM rice passes first human trial

An oral cholera vaccine that’s grown in genetically modified rice and can be stored at room temperature has passed its first human trial.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Virgin flight shatters record for number of people in space at once

A Virgin Galactic flight that set a new record for number of people in space at one time may have kicked off the era of space tourism.

Kristin Houser