Fact

The appendix may be a bacterial safe house

Long dismissed as useless. It might be a backup drive for your gut.

1 min read

One well-supported hypothesis is that the appendix acts as a reservoir of beneficial gut bacteria, allowing recolonisation after an illness flushes the intestine. It contains substantial lymphoid tissue, and appendix-like structures have evolved independently many times across mammals – which is not what you would expect from a useless organ.

Leave a thought

Your email address is not published.