Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who ...

For more than a century, the human appendix has been written off as a biological relic, a shrunken leftover from plant-eating ancestors that serves no real purpose. That view is now outdated. A ...

Generally treated as a medical emergency, appendicitis can leave a person doubled over in agony. The most common symptom is abdominal pain, explains Dr. Martin Zielinski, a surgeon trained in critical ...

“I'm sure we're going to find out one day that the brain is as worthless as the appendix.” —Scott McClanahan The poor, maligned appendix. That worm-like accessory dangling from our intestines has long ...

“I told the doctors my medical history and was ready for the usual ‘we don't know how to help’ treatment,” Mosser told Newsweek.