Coffee is a $100 billion dollar industry — and it’s in danger of extinction. Sarah Sax, climate justice reporting fellow for High Country News, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how climate change and questionable farming practices are harming crops, and ways researchers are trying to breed more sustainable beans. Her article “Coffee as we know it is in danger. Can we breed a better cup?” was published by Vox.

In the race to develop life-saving drugs, plants might have the answers. Dr. Cassandra Quave is a medical ethnobotanist and an associate professor of dermatology and human health at Emory University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her work searching the globe for plant medicines that will fight superbugs and even the common headache. Her book is called “The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines.”

Sexual misconduct claims often come down to a case of he said, she said. Deborah Tuerkheimer is a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss who is deemed a credible source, why women aren’t listened to, and who retains power in the legal system. Her book is called “Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers.”

John McWhorter is a linguist who spends his time thinking about words, what they mean, why we use them and how they’ve evolved — and that includes profanity. He joins Think to talk about his most recent book, “Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever.” Just a warning: there’s uncensored profanity in this language, so it might not be appropriate for younger listeners.

Being an undocumented immigrant often means living in the shadows, hidden to the rest of the world. Author Qian Julie Wang joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of her childhood in an undocumented family, how the experience shaped her life, and how she now views the American Dream. Her book is called “Beautiful Country: A Memoir.”

This show originally aired September 8, 2021.

When her father, President Ronald Reagan, announced he had Alzheimer’s, Patti Davis and her family began a very public journey to cope with the disease. Davis joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the support group she founded and the struggle with prolonged grief that comes with the illness. Her book is “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.”

Some of us look for a movie to give us a good cry — is that actually a sign of strength? Paul Bloom is professor of psychology at University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we sometimes seek out pain, the search for moral satisfaction and how sometimes this pursuit can go awry. His book is called “The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning.”

Sometimes being alone with your thoughts leads to obsessive overthinking. Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist and regular contributor to Psychology Today, and she joins host Krys Boyd to explain how excessive thinking to the point of stress is an addiction and offer tips on how practices like mindfulness can calm an overactive mind. Her book is called “Can’t Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination.”

Right now, our bodies might be trying to tell us about our future health. Daniel M. Davis is professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the newest science that is striving to understand the ways our bodies talk to us, revealing secrets of disease and how we might protect ourselves from illness far into the future. His book is “The Secret Body: How the New Science of the Human Body Is Changing the Way We Live.”

When the mind breaks down, plans for the future are thrown into chaos. Naomi Jackson is an assistant professor of English at Rutgers University–Newark, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the series of events that led to her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the things she almost lost as she battled her way back to health. Her essay “Her Kind” was published in Harper’s Magazine.