Purpose of Appendix Believed Found

CambodiaSam sent in this story, which opens: "Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut. That's the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week. For generations the appendix has been dismissed as superfluous. Doctors figured it had no function. Surgeons removed them routinely. People live fine without them. The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most are good and help digest food. But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case."

Comments

Obligatory

[onosson]

I, for one, welcome our bacteria-breeding appendix overlords.

the purpose of the appendix

[Anonymous Coward]

On the evening of the sixth day of creation, God had an argument with his editors about what to do with some material that all agreed was clever but not an especially great fit. So they decided to move it to the appendix.

Re:Polio, Asthma & Allergies

[eldavojohn]

With the proliferation of antibacterial products, I worry about two things. In the short term, what kind of new allergies will people develop as chemistry continues to replace people's immune systems? In the long term, what kind of backlash are we going to see when microbes begin to develop some sort of resistance to alcohol and other antibacterial agents? Precisely the idea behind a story I submitted a while ago cautioning the use of antibacterial soap--especially since the truth is it does little or nothing more than regular soap.

I could spout more of my fears of an overly medicated, overly hygienic society but my neck is really sore from the tinfoil fortress atop my head. :-) Well, at least I still have my freedom of choice not to take Tylenol when I have a headache, a glass of scotch usually fixes it better anyways.

System reboot: continue?

[lpangelrob]

The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

Gives a new meaning to the term "stack dump". I myself am currently suffering from a stop error. :-(

From my perspective

[Scrameustache]

The purpose of the appendix to spontaneously kill you in a horribly painful way.
Unless you have access to surgeons. Yay modern medicine!

Re:Evolution would have gotten rid of it

[speaker of the truth]

The human body has plenty of useless-but-neutral features--earlobes, for one Boy will they laugh at you in 100 years time when earlobes are revealed to have a very important function. Has this article taught you nothing?

Re:Polio, Asthma & Allergies

[tomhudson]

> "I was also worried about bacteria adapting to alcohol etc. "

... they do ... where do you think all those ugly bacteria come from? Bacteria in bars, seeing other bacteria through beer-bottle goggles, breeding, then trying to gnaw their cilia off the next morning because their mate is coyote-ugly ...

Support contract

[HangingChad]

The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

So your appendix is run by Microsoft support.

Re:Evolution would have gotten rid of it

[Spacejock]

Of course earlobes are useful. I mean, what else could you possibly hang earrings off ... your privates?

Re:Polio, Asthma & Allergies

[jez9999]

There has been no (to my knowledge) increase in resistance to bleach used in the kitchen for instance. It would be like gaining resistance to fire. The properties of these antibacterial agents is just too violent against the cell for evolution to do anything about it.

That's exactly why I clean my hands by setting them on fire. Anything left after it's been put out can stay.

My high school bio teach told me

[EVil Lawyer]

My high school biology teacher at an "excellent" public school told me that the function of the appendix in the olden days was to digest rocks and such that primitive humans might have digested by mistake. =)