As top Kiwi scientists fly south for NZ's 60th research season in Antarctica, Jamie Morton takes a look at some of the fascinating studies planned.

“Medicinal cannabis prices are set to tumble after the Government approved a new Canadian product, for an Auckland woman. Campaigners say high costs and inaccessibility have driven tens of thousands of pain sufferers to the black market for medical marijuana. A handful of law-abiding patients have been paying more than $1000 a month for the only legal alternative.”

Professor Craig Cary, director of the Waikato University-based International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR), is leading a new study investigating how a changing climate and human impacts are affecting Antarctica's famous Dry Valleys.

As stories of sinister clown encounters surface in NZ and around the world, sociologists talk to Russell Blackstock about what is driving this dark fad.

COMMENT: How on earth do these findings translate to people who drink gin, coffee or beer being probable psychopaths? Quite simply, they don't.

COMMENT: This week I ate a 3D printed pancake. The printer used standard pancake batter as its "ink" and printed it on to a non-stick hot-plate.

Outgoing US President Barack Obama has revived calls to send humans to Mars by 2030s - but even if astronauts get there, would they remember much of it?

Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck has been crowned EY New Zealand entrepreneur of the year.

"Somebody was walking through this exact spot, at this moment in time, thousands of years ago," said scientist Kevin Hatala.

Collating data on eruptions, earthquakes and gas emissions promise new predictive tools.

The potential environmental impacts of controversial off-shore mining will be investigated in a new multi-million dollar study.

COMMENT: Baby talk plays an important role in development and babies prefer it to other types of speech.

Sarah Kessans spent the "best week of her life" at a Nasa training centre in Texas.

COMMENT: Following the recall of faulty airbags by Japanese manufacturer Takata, it's timely to look at the science behind these livesaving devices.

Scientists have just discovered a new species of heavyweight shark - but we're 20 million years too late to have seen it.

A visiting world-renowned expert on childhood behavioural disorders is set to share insights into how kids' sleep problems can hurt their academic performance and later success in life.

Kiwi food company's product range includes wild ants, huhu grubs, locusts and cricket powder.

A new million-dollar study could deliver the key to the Government's bold bid to clear the nation of pest predators by 2050.

Scientists have revealed new insights into the ancestors of Maori, confirming that the first people to settle in Pacific were from Asian farming groups.

A new study on the nature of creepiness reveals the most disconcerting behavioural traits and the world's most creepy occupations.

Killing off all rats, stoats and possums in New Zealand will require novel methods including genetic engineering, Govt has been told.

COMMENT: For the past several months, creepy clowns have been terrorising America, with sightings of actual clowns in at least 10 different states.

One hundred thousand kiwi could be scratching around our bush by 2030, under plans unveiled by the Government today.

The Rosetta spacecraft has crashed into Comet 67P, ending a 12-year mission and providing unique close ups of the surface.

Most of us are confused about diet because we're always trying to pin the blame on one nutrient, says an expert.

The idea of aliens having already visited Earth is "improbable, impossible, mind boggling" for many. That's why these guys stick together.

Smoking is now much more of a rarity thanks to amendments in the smoke-free Environments Act and new 10 per cent a year tax rise.

Researchers mapped out the homicidal histories of over 1000 mammals - and found NZ's sea lion among the most murderous.

It's well known that Kiwis have a love affair with caffeine - but how many of us know about the potential hidden harm it could be causing us?

A renowned visiting psychologist is set to delve into why most of us put up with social inequality.