Free-range chimp research, Christmas tree clusters, gastrectomies, et alia

Other deadlines bar elaboration, but I wanted to draw attention to some worthwhile reading:

A good Wired Science story explores how "Free Range Research Could Save Chimps, the notion that Oil is Not the Climage Change Culprit -- It's All About Coal, and the Christmas Tree Cluster (of stars).

The Sterile Eye posts a video of a total gastrectomy.

World of Psychology has a particularly good "Mental Health Year in Review" article that reviews research highlights, the flaps over conflicts of interest and disclosure, the controversy over the legitimacy of the pediatric bipolar disorder diagnosis, and a few other tidbits. The Wall Street Journal and several other places note that the FDA is putting suicide warnings on the epilepsy drugs often used to treat bipolar disorder. And Neuronarrative calls attention to a mouse agility website. A St. Petersburg Times story -- it's wonderful to see ambitious reporting like this from a "smaller" newspaper -- runs an unsettling story on drug trials being outsourced to India.

And a McKinsey report (that's McKinsey, not Kinsey) explores why the U.S. spends $650 million a year more on health care than one would expect for a country with our population and GDP. "This picture suggests a clear opportunity for improvement," the authors note. Let's hope. (Hat tip: Wall Street Journal Health Blog)

And oh yes, that photo at the top is from Seed's portfolio of images taken from the spreads it runs in its print edtion. Seriously gorgeous.

And oh yes yes yes: Overgrown Path riffs off the fact that Hendrix lived next to Handel. Foxy.