Physiology

Everyone thinks skulls are cool on their bracelets or belts or hoodies, but a real one seems to turn people off. Well, no matter, I'm gonna recommend one anyway.

I turn to 3B Scientific , makers of the highest quality anatomical models, for another fun conversation starter for your home. Keep it...more on your coffee table, or better yet, in your closet.

This numbered skull is the perfect choice for basic to pretty advanced learning. It's cast from a real, human skull, so all the little details (foramen, styluses, etc) are there. Better yet, all the points of interest are hand-numbered, and it comes with an answer-key to each digit. It's high quality plastic, the jaw articulates, the sutures are highlighted in yellow, and the cranium opens for further study and for figuring out what nerves go where.

NON LEARNING USES:

-If you're going to put on an amateur Shakespeare presentation, you're practically duty bound to choose Hamlet. One of the by-laws there is you have to use a skull. Put on as serious a face as you can, stare intently at the skull, then flourish a bit with some extremely long and discomfiting dramatic pauses.

-Halloween decoration. You can also stuff the insides with candy and use it as your trick-or-treat bowl.

- See that latch on the side? Open up the skull, pour in some Jello (pink or green, preferably) and refrigerate.

$100. If you'd like the stylish élan of having a human skull in your home but don't want to spend so much, consider a.) grave-robbing or b.) buying their cheaper, 'budget' models, which go for as low as $23 or so.

Mad Biologist use:

Actually, the Halloween candy bowl idea works pretty well. Just make sure to use it ALL year round. And tell people it's real.