Though most government workers enjoy a good life - in the last decade salaries rose to 'compete with the private sector' and they were the only group that has not suffered unemployment under the lingering recession - they are not immune from criticism. Recently there have been calls to reduce benefits for teachers and a group of academics are proactively defending them.

The difference between mild sexual difficulties and diagnosable sexual dysfunction is an ongoing debate among health professionals, but it has been stirred up recently by changes to diagnostic criteria. Unlike science and medicine, psychology still uses symptom-based diagnosis, and the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is vague because it specifies symptoms lasting at least 6 months, occurring almost always in sexual encounters, and causing  distress in order to be considered a sexual dysfunction.

Though activists on the poles of science and religion see science and religion as being in conflict, most in science and most of the public do not. Instead, most recognize 'non-overlapping magisteria' and leave the philosophical subjects aside to theologians and explaining the universe according to natural laws to scientists.

Coastal communities around the world are being increasingly exposed to the hazards of rising sea levels, with global sea levels found to be rising faster over the past two decades than for the bulk of the 20th century.

But managing the impacts of rising seas for some communities is being made more difficult by the actions of governments, homeowners – and even some well-intentioned climate adaptation practitioners.

Exposure to cold temperatures is known to mimic the effects of exercise, protecting against obesity and improving metabolic health. A study published December 3 in Cell now reveals that the beneficial health effects of cold exposure are mediated in part by gut microbes. The researchers found that cold exposure dramatically alters the composition of intestinal bacteria in mice and that this microbial shift is sufficient to burn fat, improve glucose metabolism, and reduce body weight.

The winner of a decades-old debate about what scientists call the fadeout effect -- one of the most persistent research mysteries in intelligence and psychological development -- may finally have been decided.

Following a meta-analysis of experimental methods to determine whether or not the benefits of early interactions designed to raise intelligence remain over time, UC Santa Barbara postdoctoral researcher John Protzko found that the positive effects on intelligence actually diminish after a particular intervention ends. Protzko's study marks the first quantitative analysis of the fadeout effect across nearly every known intervention that has attempted to improve early intelligence.

In an attempt to better understand the taxonomy of a group of sand flies, researchers in Brazil examined specimens in museum collections. After detailed morphometric and morphological analyses of three different flies in the genus Psathyromyia, they found that the specimens were originally misidentified and that they were actually an undescribed species.

Targeted magnetic pulses to the brain were shown to reduce craving and substance use in cocaine-addicted patients. The results of this pilot study, published in the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest that this may become an effective medical treatment for patients with cocaine addiction, although a larger trial is needed to confirm the initial findings.

We often read others’ intentions in what they do - if we disagree with someone's science, for example, we assume they are shills for money, but if we like their results, they are beacons of truth.

But it's more overt than assuming Bernie Sanders is ethical and Donald Trump cannot be, even when someone does something positive we are slower to give them credit - but usually quick to assign blame.

Take this scenario commonly used in philosophy:

The CEO knew the plan would harm the environment, but he did not care at all about the effect the plan would have on the environment. He started the plan solely to increase profits. Did the CEO intentionally harm the environment?

Turns out dads are also eating for two. A study published December 3 in Cell Metabolism reveals that a man's weight affects the heritable information contained in sperm. The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, notable at gene regions associated with the control of appetite. The comparisons, which included 13 lean men and 10 obese men, offer one biological explanation for why children of obese fathers are themselves more predisposed to obesity.