The rise and fall of America's favorite junk foods
Kraft cheese, Jell-O, and Twinkies are iconic brands that are lucky to be alive. This is how they became staples — and why they almost disappeared.
Katie Nixdorf
Video Producer, News and Documentary
The true cost of the lithium mining boom powering electric cars
With demand for batteries sky-high, mining companies are eyeing the salt flats of the Andes, where over half of the world's lithium is stored.
Recycling wind turbine blades is nearly impossible. Veolia North America thinks it can keep them out of landfills.
Wind turbine blades are hard to recycle because they're huge and sturdy. Veolia North America, a waste management company, is turning them into fuel.
Residents of Cambodia's waterfront communities said their waters used to be 'decorated by lotus and lotus stem.' Now they're covered in 'gravel and sand' as sand mining threatens their homes.
Sand mining in Cambodia's waterways is fueling international development but displacing many of the local communities who call the waterfronts home.
Filling Cambodian lakes with sand creates pricey new land. It also displaces families.
Communities living on Phnom Penh's largest natural lake, Boeung Tamok, face eviction after the Cambodian government reallocated their land.
A woman who mistakenly visited an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center said she was met with pushback for seeking an abortion: 'I just was not ready, and words can't make you ready for that'
Crisis pregnancy centers use online ads that appear in searches such as "abortion pill" or "abortion information" in order to appear like clinics.
Meet the Amazon warehouse workers paying the price for fast, free shipping
Amazon's fast shipping has reshaped the logistics sector. But its workers are twice as likely to get seriously injured as those in other warehouses.
How anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers target women looking for abortions
Crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, outnumber abortion clinics in the US. After Roe v. Wade, CPCs are on the front lines of the anti-abortion movement.
Can lab-grown steak fix the broken beef industry?
Beef has a massive carbon footprint. Scientists think 3D-printed steak could clean up the industry. But can it become mainstream?
How scientists make real dairy with no cows
Plant-based dairy alternatives have been around for decades. But now, one California company is making real dairy without the cows.
Could lab-grown salmon be the future of fish?
Salmon is one of the most popular fish in the US. Now, one California startup is growing salmon fillets from cells.
How 27 countries sent Ukraine more than $1 billion of weapons and supplies in one week
The US and NATO raced to send Ukraine weapons like Javelin and Stinger missiles after Russia's invasion.
How BlackBerry went from controlling the smartphone market to a phone of the past
Despite being one of the first smartphones, BlackBerry failed to innovate and became complacent in how the smartphone market was changing.
How lab-grown diamonds are taking the shine off mined gems
For years, diamonds have been linked to conflict, corruption, and colonialism. Now, they can be grown in a lab at a fraction of the cost.
How one company keeps wind turbine blades out of landfills
Wind turbine blades are notoriously difficult to recycle. Now, one company shreds the blades so they can be used as fuel in cement making.
The US is producing more milk than ever, even as Americans are drinking less of it. Here's why.
Government policies helped bolster milk production for almost a century. But with rising costs and falling returns, small dairy farms are struggling.
We visited one of the last foie gras farms in the US to see how the dish went from luxury to controversy
Foie gras will soon be illegal in New York City. We went to one of the last foie gras farms in the US to see what's next for the controversial dish.
How one Dutch company is making vegan leather from mangoes
The cofounders of Fruitleather hope their company will reduce food waste while making the leather industry more environmentally friendly.
The US used to have over 200 lesbian bars. Now only 21 are left.
Lesbian bars have been a mainstay of American queer culture since the 1930s. But today, only 21 lesbian bars are believed to exist in the US.
The rise and fall of Kraft, the pioneer of processed cheese
Kraft is an iconic brand known for its processed cheese slices and boxed macaroni. But as consumer tastes change, the brand has lost value.