FARGO -- Every part of the human body has some purpose, but it's easier than ever to get by with a few missing pieces. Rhonda Ketterling, Sanford Health's chief medical officer for the northern region ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Colbert is away from late-night TV following emergency surgery last week — the comedian's appendix burst. That made us wonder: What does the appendix do for our body? And why are ...

The appendix was long thought to be useless. It’s removed in cases of appendicitis — inflammation that's especially common in children. But new research shows it may play a crucial role in supporting ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can live without ...

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Many Americans grew up with the idea their appendix is an unnecessary organ, made obsolete by evolution. But in the last 20 years or so, scientists have come to believe the appendix serves a purpose, ...

Since the dawn of modern medicine the vermiform appendix has seemed to be a completely useless organ. This week, the University of Chicago’s Dr. Leon 0. Jacobson suggested that a use for the appendix ...