Researchers have found that the appendix may actually do some important work.

Media: GeoBeats

According to a new study by researchers at Midwestern University, the appendix might serve an important bodily function.

According to the study, led by Heather F. Smith, an associate professor at Midwestern, the appendix “may serve as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria.”

Healthy bacteria in your intestines, often referred to as the human microbiome, is increasingly thought to improve wellness overall, especially immune and digestive health.

The study tracked the evolution of the appendix through several mammal lineages and discovered that the organ evolved independently “over 30 separate times, and almost never disappears from a lineage once it has appeared.”

This suggests that the organ serves an important purpose in the body. Smith and her team discovered that species with an appendix have “higher average concentrations of lymphoid (immune) tissue” in the section of the large intestine that is attached to the organ.

In other words, the appendix may act as a “safe house” for “good” gut bacteria. 

Vestigial organ? Perhaps not.

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