Biologists say the appendix isn’t useless after all. Evolution kept reinventing it, and it may help support gut immunity and ...

Why do humans have an appendix? New research is reshaping our understanding of this overlooked organ and its antiquated role ...

The human appendix is a small, muscular, vermiform or worm-shaped organ, averaging around 9cm in length, that is located at the junction of the small and large intestine. 1 According to comparative ...

Untreated appendicitis may cause your appendix to rupture (burst), resulting in an infection. Symptoms associated with a ruptured appendix include severe abdominal pain, fever, chills, and weakness.

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 ...

Laura holds a Master's in Experimental Neuroscience and a Bachelor's in Biology from Imperial College London. Her areas of expertise include health, medicine, psychology, and neuroscience.View full ...

Universidad de Navarra provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation ES. You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can ...

Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don't need it—and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...