Why do we have an appendix? (from Livestream #36)

Clip taken from DarkHorse Podcast Livestream #36 (originally streamed live on August 04, 2020):

Q&A:

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[thecorrectoification]

That was more interesting than anything I ever learned in school in my entire life

[thBeatle]

I was taught that it existed to digest woody plant parts, which we no longer need.
Fascinating discussion.

[ImCarolB]

Fascinating! I want to run out right now and tell someone about this.

[JonFrumTheFirst]

I needed emergency intestinal surgery at 2 1/2 years in 1956. While they were in there, they also took out my appendix. I suspect the doctor just wanted practice. Needless to say, there was no consent.

[johnline]

had my appendix out 20 years ago, and i'm amidst a compromised gut health rebuild triggering all sorts of autoimmune ailments

[DW-oqrf]

I’m growing to like Dr. Heying. She’s got a dry, sort of Lauren Bacall thing going. Pretty smart, too.

[stevefambro]

I asked that question after mine burst on January 26 as I was being rolled into surgery.

[drefloresca]

idk why i find this so interesting but i find this so feckin interesting!!

[jdailey]

My brother, my sister, my father, and myself have all had our appendix removed at or around age 16. I'm Not sure about my father, but as for his three children we all experienced appendicitis after consuming popcorn. Other people I know that have had theirs removed also report this phenomenon.

[prschuster]

Starch and cellulose are glucose polymers with different linkages (alpha for starch and beta for cellulose).

[markeverett]

I keep all my non-essential, supplementary information there.

[elontusk]

Only as a joke, although true.... the creationists were ahead of the game on the appendix 😅

[rm]

Surgeons like to cut things out and to assuage their canvas' fears.

[mattyb]

Good thing I take a lot of probiotics now that I had my appendix taken out in surgery...

[EWKification]

But why do we get appendicitis? Also, I got it when I was 54, about 6 months after going vegan. I wonder if there is any connection, or just coincidence.

[kling]

Why is there a picture of two people doing brazilian jiujitsu?

[halfbakedckie]

It tracks diet... what kind of diet? How 'big' is our appendix relative to relatives with certain different diets? What does it imply about our ancestral diet?

[NoFunNoHope]

The appendix: I wish i had 20 of them and was 80% pure bile instead of water, god they're so, so great.

[Theactivepsychos]

Does regular diarrhoea in pre industrial populatuins explain the claims behind colonic irrigation (or is it an enema)? In that it mimics the actions of diarrhoea

[doraemon]

What do you mean by preindrustrial people?