WASHINGTON — Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut. That's the theory from ...

Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut. That's the theory from surgeons and ...

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 ...

As humans have evolved, some anatomical parts with functional roles in the body have become unfunctional and are often referred to as vestigial organs or structures. Some are believed to be a ...

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 ...

You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can live without this organ because it serves no purpose, but how much truth is there in ...

Does the human body contain any truly useless parts? Arguably, yes — but they might not be the ones you assume. Some body parts, like the male nipple, arguably serve no useful function. But others, ...

When an appendix needs to be removed, patients who have minimally invasive surgery fare far better than those who have traditional operations, a review of several studies indicates. Patients who had ...