For decades, the appendix has been dismissed as a useless organ — a leftover from human evolution with no real function.

After decades under a label that marked it as superfluous, the appendix may finally be able to justify its existence. Doctors at Duke University Medical School found the appendix protectsbeneficial ...

The appendix, a once-dismissed organ now known to play a role in the immune system, may contribute to a person’s chances of developing Parkinson’s disease. An analysis of data from nearly 1.7 million ...

You’ve probably heard that you don’t necessarily need your appendix, especially if you’ve had it removed. But the appendix does have a function and scientists are learning more about how it affects ...

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 ...

The human appendix, which is thought to be of little use to the body, may actually serve as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, a new study has found. They mapped the data onto a phylogeny ...

The appendix has long been dismissed as an organ that has outlived its usefulness in human evolution. But new research suggests it may play an active — and detrimental — role in the development of ...

Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that impairs brain cells and causes movement problems, could have its origins in the appendix, a new study suggests. The vestigial organ, the ...

For a first-year surgical resident, the appendix (specifically, it’s removal) represents a prized surgical operation. For trained surgeons, the appendectomy is usually an urgent affair that requires ...

Removing the appendix early in life reduces the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 19 to 25 percent, according to the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind. The findings solidify the ...

Nobody's really sure why we humans have an appendix, and some biology textbooks still refer to the pinkie-size organ, located near the juncture of the large and small intestine, as a "vestigial organ.