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.

Food

Lab-grown meat clears major FDA hurdle

Startup UPSIDE Foods’ lab-grown chicken has passed a key FDA checkpoint, putting cultured meat one step closer to sale in the US.

Kristin Houser

Engineering

UK test-fires its first high-energy laser weapon

The UK has successfully test-fired the $115 million DragonFire, its first high-powered, long-range laser weapon.

Kristin Houser

Addiction

Cheap blood pressure med could help treat alcoholism

Spironolactone, a cheap medication used to treat high blood pressure, might also be able to help people overcome alcohol use disorder.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

New deep brain stimulator is powered automatically by breathing

A deep brain stimulator powered by breathing could eliminate the need for patients to undergo regular battery-change surgeries.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Old herpes drug helps kill deadly superbug

The anti-herpes drug edoxudine can weaken the deadly superbug K-pneumoniae, potentially offering a new weapon against antibiotic resistance.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Yale’s new nasal vaccine can boost an mRNA shot

A nasal vaccine delivered as a booster to mRNA shots might offer better protection against COVID-19 and help stop the virus from spreading.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Medical robot to treat injured soldiers on the battlefield

A VR-controlled medical triage robot is being built to help trained techs attend to injured soldiers on the battlefield.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Australian man uses brain implant to send texts from his iPad

The Stentrode — a brain-computer interface implanted through minimally invasive surgery — has been used to send text messages from an iPad

Kristin Houser

3D Printing

ISS experiment will 3D print a body part in microgravity

An International Space Station experiment to test 3D-printing in microgravity could help end the organ shortage on Earth.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

UK trials world’s first lab-grown blood transfusions

UK researchers have launched the world’s first trial in which lab-grown blood cells are being transfused into another person.

Kristin Houser