If the Helmet Fits . . .

It all comes down to using your head. Consumer protection groups, who point out that bicycles and in-line skates will be among the top holiday gifts, are urging the wheeled enthusiasts to wear helmets. As many as 360 brain injuries a day could be avoided by donning headgear, say safety experts. But they admit the trick is convincing kids--only about 15% of whom wear helmets--that head safety is cool.

Boning Up

Let’s say you’re wearing a helmet while biking and you have an accident. Your noggin remains intact, but you break a bone--like 1.5 million other Americans do each year in a variety of ways. Normally, a break takes six weeks or more to heal, but an Illinois physician has developed a synthetic bone cement that reduces that to two weeks. A mixture of calcium and phosphate is injected into the fracture, and within 12 hours the substance becomes as hard as bone. This expedited healing process means you only have to wait a third as long before jumping back on that bike..

A Real Snore

Do you struggle to stay awake during the day? Have trouble falling asleep at night? If so, you may be one of the 40 million Americans who suffer from a sleeping disorder. According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, the need for sleep varies greatly among people--anywhere from four to 10 hours a day. Simple solutions include getting plenty of exercise, avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the evening . . . and try watching C-SPAN.

Now We’ve Seen Everything

Museums enshrine just about everything. Well, now, make that everything. A condom museum is expected to open next year in--appropriately enough--Condom, France. The collection will showcase prophylactics from cave-dwelling days when animal-skin sheaths were all the rage to modern-day vulcanized contraceptives. Wonder what they will sell in the museum gift shop?