ZME Science on MSN

The appendix has evolved dozens of times. Scientists are finally figuring out why

You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the ...
Hosted on MSN

Your appendix might not be useless after all—and new research says it could be an evolutionary secret weapon

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 ...
WFAE

Your appendix is not, in fact, useless. This anatomy professor explains

It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, Ariz. and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family's upcoming ski trip But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow ...
WISH-TV

Health Spotlight | Appendix cancer rates rising in young adults

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Cancers in younger adults are surging. Colon cancer, once a midlife disease, is striking earlier than ever. Breast and kidney cancers are also climbing in people under 50. Now, a ...
NBC New York

Appendix cancers are on the rise in younger generations, study finds

Although they are very rare, cancers of the appendix are on the rise, a new study finds. An analysis of a National Cancer Institute database found that compared with older generations, rates of ...