The appendix may be useful after all

Long thought to be an obsolete body part, the appendix is usually quiet and seemingly useless -- unless it gets infected. But researchers from Duke University Medical School believe that they've discovered the appendix was once useful after all. Their theory is that the small organ serves as a factory for healthy bacteria that normally flourish in the gut. If those bacteria were destroyed -- through a disease like cholera or dysentery -- the appendix would repopulate the large intestine with those healthy bacteria.

In a modern industrialized country such as our own, those bacteria could easily be replaced just through contact with fellow citizens. But in less developed countries or in the case of an epidemic, the appendix may be helpful in restoring good health to the gut.

Interestingly, in less developed countries where the appendix may be put to more use, there are less cases of appendicitis. Health experts say that this finding shouldn't affect a person's decision to have their appendix out. Over 300,000 people come down with appendicitis every year, and 300 to 400 people die, so if you have some of the common symptoms, get yourself seen!