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.

Inventions

This smart mattress will help you fall asleep fast

UT Austin engineers have developed a smart mattress that manipulates a person’s body temperature to help them fall asleep fast.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

NASA will send two more helicopters to Mars to bring home samples

Inspired by the overachieving Ingenuity, NASA has updated the Mars Sample Return mission to include two new Mars helicopters.

Kristin Houser

Drones

US Army’s solar-powered drone is setting new records every day

A solar-powered drone being tested by the US Army has set a record for long-endurance flight, remaining aloft for more than 40 days straight.

Kristin Houser

Food

The future of meat is sustainable — and a little weird

Ideas to reduce the meat industry's impact on the environment include 3D-printed steaks, cultivated tiger meat, and potty-trained cows.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

You can ride this “flying” electric ferry in 2023

Stockholm is piloting a “flying” electric ferry that’s expected to cut commute times in half and make public transportation more sustainable.

Kristin Houser

Magic Leap reveals release date, price for new AR glasses

Two years after laying off half of its staff, Magic Leap is back with a new pair of AR glasses, the enterprise-focused Magic Leap 2.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

NASA is closer than ever to generating nuclear power on the moon

NASA has given three companies $5 million contracts to develop mini reactors capable of generating nuclear power on the moon by 2031.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

Google’s free tool will breathe new life into your old laptop

Google’s free ChromeOS Flex is now widely available, giving anyone the ability to turn their old laptop into a makeshift Chromebook.

Kristin Houser

Cars

GM has a plan to solve the biggest obstacle to EVs

GM, Pilot Company, and EVgo are building a new EV charging network comprising 2,000 stalls at up to 500 travel centers across the US.

Kristin Houser

Asteroids

NASA was “completely wrong” about the asteroid Bennu

It wasn’t until landing on the asteroid Bennu that NASA learned its surface was more like a plastic ball pit than the relatively solid moon.

Kristin Houser