For more than a century the appendix carried a reputation as the body’s most useless part, a leftover pouch that seemed good ...

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 ...

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 ...

For decades, the human appendix was casually dismissed as a “useless” vestige. Modern research and clinical experience, however, suggest that this small, narrow pouch, attached to the cecum in the ...

Appendix cancer is rare and may mimic digestive problems; persistent bloating, abdominal swelling, unexplained weight changes ...

The appendix may not be useless after all. The worm-shaped structure found near the junction of the small and large intestines evolved 32 times among mammals, according to a new study. The finding ...

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 of observations ...

The appendix tends to get a bad rap. That long, narrow pouch extending off the digestive tract is notorious for getting infected, leading to emergency appendectomy surgery. A new study published in ...

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 serves a critical ...

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 ...

Share on Pinterest Gen Xers and older Millennials are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop appendix cancer compared to their parents, a new study suggests. Nicky Lloyd/Getty Images Appendix cancer ...