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.

Coronavirus

China’s COVID-19 cases surge, with low elderly vaccination rates

China’s “zero-COVID” policies may be contributing to a surge of cases that has forced 50 million people into lockdown.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

CRISPR cattle cleared for the first time by FDA

Beef cattle genetically altered to be less susceptible to heat stress have been cleared for human consumption by the FDA.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Steering wheels now optional for driverless cars in US

Driverless cars no longer need to have manual controls, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety standards.

Kristin Houser

Mental Health

Hugging a cushion that “breathes” can reduce anxiety

A study found that hugging a cushion that “breathes” was able to reduce anxiety for students prior to a test as much as guided meditation.

Kristin Houser

Agriculture

3D ocean farming: creating food while cleaning the ocean

3D ocean farming can help us feed Earth’s growing population while also improving the health of the oceans.

Kristin Houser

Drones

Drones and AI recover a meteorite for the first time

Australian researchers have trained an AI to locate fallen space rocks using footage from autonomous drone surveys.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

NASA opens untouched moon rock container from 50 years ago

NASA is opening a vacuum-sealed sample of moon rock and gas to help astronauts prepare for the next mission to the moon.

Kristin Houser

Public Health

Moderna will develop mRNA vaccines for Ebola, malaria, other major threats

Moderna is developing mRNA vaccines for 15 “priority" pathogens and launching a program giving other developers access to its mRNA tech.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Oculus exec bets $10,000 we'll have fully autonomous cars by 2030

An Oculus exec has publicly bet $10,000 that vehicles with Level 5 autonomy will arrive on city streets by 2030.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Baby thrives after first-of-its-kind heart transplant

A baby’s first-of-its-kind heart transplant could help future patients avoid organ rejection and reduce the need for immunosuppressant drugs.

Kristin Houser