For years, the appendix carried a reputation as the body’s most pointless organ. Doctors often removed it without hesitation, and textbooks labeled it a vestigial structure—something our ancestors ...

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 ...

Generally treated as a medical emergency, appendicitis can leave a person doubled over in agony. The most common symptom is abdominal pain, explains Dr. Martin Zielinski, a surgeon trained in critical ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. It’s the one organ we’ve been told is basically useless, and now it might actually be harboring a stealthy health risk. So ...

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 ...

“I'm sure we're going to find out one day that the brain is as worthless as the appendix.” —Scott McClanahan The poor, maligned appendix. That worm-like accessory dangling from our intestines has long ...