Why Your Appendix Actually Matters

You've likely heard that your appendix is totally useless, a left over organ from our evolutionary past: but turns out, it it may be doing something important after all! Learn more with Stefan Chin in a fun new biology episode of SciShow!

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[chrissachjen]

Mine tried to kill me so I'm just fine without it.

[ing]

My appendix gives me information of the topics discussed in a book.

[OpEditorial]

Science: 2019 we just figured out what the human appendix does
Comment section: currently mourning the loss of my appendix

[emericaCircamcchicke]

The kinds of things animals with appendixes have in common:
- An appendix

[Vegalith]

Me, Appendixless, watching this video: well gee I hope it’s not important

[CgreenAbram]

Am I literally the only person in the comments who still has theirs?? 😅

[shannonbarr]

Just had mine removed yesterday. Talk about timing

[jackielinde]

The Appendix: That guy in the office who just does his job to keep the office running without demanding a lot of attention for it. We don't notice him until he's either retired or laid off.

[Chief]

I dont have an appendix
Rip appendix 2019

[Master_Therion]

Me: I think I need to have my appendix removed.
Doctor: What makes you say that?
Me: I don't know, I just have a gut feeling.

[czech]

The title should be: Your Appendix isn't totally useless

[ketsuekikumori]

It's your friend, so long as it isn't trying to kill you.

[Sciencerely]

As a human biologist and researcher, I think it is astonishing how much we still can learn about the human body. Just last year, a new possible organ was found called the interstitium. This organ is normally filled with fluid and is found in different places between a structural barrier and other internal organs (maybe I'll make a video about that!). Of course we now have to study it a lot but the reason why we only discovered the interstitium last year is that it is destroyed during normal preservation methods. Feel free to ask anything about that topic (or stem cells, since I am conducting research in this field)!

[spacemoth]

So many people in the comments are recovering from an appendectomy or had one this year it's concerning

[dantederi]

I'm like an appendix, nobody knows what purpose i have.

[RialuCaos]

I was taught in my A&P course that the Appendix is likely used for "priming" the body's immune system against any potential pathogens by allowing a place for bacteria to be cultivated and come into contact with immune cells. This function can sometimes backfire and cause a severe infection, but the fact that it remains within evolutionary pathways suggests that it works more often than it does not.

[TheDevler]

Wow, timing! I'm literally sitting here in recovery after an emergency appendectomy!

[PossibleBat]

I had mine removed when I was 9 because it tried to kill me and later I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (rare and new) and it’s been more than 10 years and I wonder if that is correlated

[gtm]

All I know is after mine was removed, I got diagnosed with IBS. Never had prior bowel issues before it was removed. Oh well, it almost killed me.

[XXHllinX]

Like my hopes and dreams, my appendix died about 5 years ago...