Scientists just can’t agree on what that value is. One theory, as put forth by the same researchers behind the 2013 study, is that the human appendix serves as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria.

Hannah is an Assistant Editor at The Scientist. She earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Washington and completed the Dalla Lana Fellowship in Global Journalism in 2020. View Full ...

The human appendix, a narrow pouch that projects off ... Although it is widely viewed as a vestigial organ with little known function, recent research suggests that the appendix may serve an ...

The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers proposed that it actually serves a critical function. The appendix ...

The function of the vermiform appendix in the human body is not fully established yet. Scientists believe that it is a vestigial remnant, that is, it was once useful to humans in the digestion of ...

The first function is supporting the immune system. The appendix has a high concentration ... especially the human body. But it turns out that there's actually a lot more variation and function ...

However, modern researchers believe that the appendix has many key functions in the human body and it protects the body’s internal environment from infection. Although initially it was thought ...

In our basic biology classes, we were taught about a small organ called the appendix and were told that it is vestigial, meaning it has no function in the body. However, recent studies have ...

The appendix is a vestigial organ, which means it has lost most of its ancestral function. “One idea is the human appendix is remnant of what used to be a larger fermenting chamber in our gut ...

What’s more, the appendix doesn’t function in human digestion. In animals that eat a lot of tough plant matter, the appendix equivalent is very long and spacious, and functions as a ...