Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic ...

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 ...

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 ...

In the United States, 1 in 15 people get appendicitis. Even though I was aware of this staggering statistic, I still never thought anything would happen to my sacred appendix… until it did. After a ...

A. Most people never think about their appendix – until it's causing them severe pain. The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch attached to the start of the large intestine on the lower right side ...

If you were pressed to name body parts that you could do without, odds are good that the appendix would make what’s (hopefully) a short list. It’s a bit of a troublemaker, this testy tube of tissue ...

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. The gut is populated with different ...

Your large intestine is made up of several different parts, including your colon, rectum, anal canal, and cecum — a small pouch located in your colon. The appendix is a finger-shaped tube that’s about ...