Here are the latest headlines regarding health and safety in football — and more:

* Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times asked about what piece of DNA allows some athletes to bounce back so quickly from severe injuries, like Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.

“We right now have a collection of some of the NFL’s best ever who are coming back from potentially career-ending injuries,” said sports surgeon Neal ElAttrache, who four years ago rebuilt the shredded knee of New England’s Brady. “People know their names. If we go down the roster of guys who have gotten injured, we’re going to find a lot of guys that were injured at the same time as these guys, were operated on at the same time as these guys, that are not at the level that these guys are and are not coming back as quickly.”

But why are they coming back so quickly?

ElAttrache, of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, said there are many reasons why elite athletes are able to make such rapid recoveries from devastating injuries, and not all of them have to do with ever-improving surgical and rehabilitation techniques. ”What we’ve seen when we’re looking at these studies in the NFL is that All-Pros come back more predictably and quicker than other players,” he said. “One of the reasons you can’t overlook is the sport is willing to wait for an All-Pro to come back.”

* The Orange County Register wrote about former MLS star Taylor Twellman, who is trying to make a difference in awareness of soccer head injuries on the eve of the MLS Cup in Los Angeles.

* The Colorado Springs Business Journal wrote about an entrepreneur who is developing what he calls a “smart helmet” with sensors for hits.

* WXIN-TV in Indianapolis reported on a high school that is being used a test case for Simpson Motorsports’ new line of football helmets.

* NFL.com wrote about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who had contracted to wear the “The Dome” from UNEQUAL Technologies to help prevent further concusssions.

* The Pocono Record’s medical column advised parents to learn about concussions before letting kids play sports.

– Bill Bradley, contributing editor