The appendix is a small organ situated between the small and large intestines. For a long time, scientists didn't know its function and deemed it useless. In fact, it was seen as potentially dangerous ...

For more than a century the appendix carried a reputation as the body’s most useless part, a leftover pouch that seemed good for nothing except occasionally becoming inflamed and requiring emergency ...

It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, Ariz. and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family's upcoming ski trip. But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Long denigrated as vestigial or useless, the appendix now appears to have a reason to be – as a “safe house” for the beneficial bacteria living in the human gut. Drawing upon a series ...

DURHAM, N.C. – The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers at Duke University Medical Center proposed that it actually ...

Why do humans have an appendix? New research is reshaping our understanding of this overlooked organ and its antiquated role in our biology. The appendix has been treated as little more than an ...

While it is possible to survive without the appendix, the organ helps maintain gut health by protecting the gut microbiome, explains Dr Sood. The appendix is a very small finger-like tissue attached ...