James Doubek
Stories
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Coffee-driven deforestation is making it harder to grow coffee, watchdog group says
In Brazil's coffee-producing areas, more than 42,000 square miles of forest have disappeared over about two decades, says Coffee Watch. Deforestation leads to drought, which harms crop yields.
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Change is brewing in the coffee industry. What lies ahead?
Coffee growers are facing climate change, labor shortages and incomes below the poverty line. On International Coffee Day, we take stock of the industry behind the beverage.
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What to know about zarfs, the fanciest way to drink coffee
For NPR's Word of the Week, we're getting hot: During the Ottoman Empire, people used devices called "zarfs" to hold their coffee cups. Here's what to know about this word's history.
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Here are some of the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites
Bavarian palaces, imperial tombs in China and memorials to Khmer Rouge victims are among the sites being recognized by the United Nations agency.
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A new study knocks down a popular hypothesis about why birds sing at dawn
The reason why birds make such a racket at dawn is still unclear. But researchers are now pouring cold water on one popular idea about why.
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A new vacuum can alert you to incoming text messages. Why?
Home appliance companies are rushing to put AI into products. It's motivated by a few factors, including gathering data and creating a long-term customer relationship, experts say.
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Ancient Greek and Roman statues often smelled like roses, a new study says
Ancient Greek and Roman statues didn't originally look like they do now in museums. A new study says they didn't smell the same, either.
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Meet the 'wooly devil,' a new plant species discovered in Big Bend National Park
The plant, formally known as Ovicula biradiata, is especially notable for being the simultaneous discovery of a new species and genus. It was found with help from the community science app iNaturalist.
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A Stradivarius violin could sell for a record sum at auction. Is it worth the hype?
Stradivarius violins often sell for millions. There's a long history behind them, and violinists who swear they sound better than modern ones.
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66 million years ago, a fish chewed up and spit out food. It's now a fossil in Denmark
The fossil was found at a cliff in Denmark. Fossilized vomit is called regurgitalite, and it's a type of trace fossil, which tells scientists about an organism's daily life.
