Hosts from NPR's science podcast Short Wave talk about an exoplanet with pink, salty clouds, the surprising social structure of ancient human relatives and the origins of laughter.

Catawba Riverkeeper’s Swim Guide is a weekly water-quality reporting program that helps people decide if it’s safe to swim at popular spots in the Catawba-Wateree River basin.

An updated drought map released Thursday shows the worst of North Carolina’s ongoing drought centered on the Triangle and the Triad. Guilford, Orange, parts of Wake and surrounding counties are classified in exceptional drought, the most severe stage and serious enough that local officials are tracking the remaining days of water supply in reservoirs. Around Mecklenburg County, despite recent rains, the region is mostly in severe or extreme drought, and all of the state is in at least moderate drought.

The earthquakes killed dozens of people and devastated the infrastructure of a country already in an economic crisis.

Damaged wetlands and streams, spills of drilling mud and a federal stop-work order have plagued the Ridgeline Expansion Project in Tennessee.

A trailblazing N.C. tax credit has been extended to support farmers, environmentalists and land conservation efforts for another five years. Supporters hope the credit will encourage conservation.

A man who volunteered as an otter spotter made some scientific discoveries along the way.

The agreement was filed Wednesday in federal court in West Virginia. If approved, Chemours would spend at least $450 million in plant upgrades and penalties across three states, including North Carolina.

Dr. Christopher Kerr put together a tool kit for the dying and their families to help them talk about the experience.

Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission say interest in their owl-cam has grown, exceeding expectations for the department’s first live wildlife camera broadcast.