Author: Kevin Dickinson / Source: Big Think
- As far back as Darwin, scientists have thought the appendix was a vestigial organ, but opinions have changed in recent years.
- A new study found that the appendix houses Lewy bodies, abnormal protein deposits that contribute to Parkinson’s disease.
- Researchers suggest an appendectomy may lower one’s risk of Parkinson’s, while other research suggests the appendix has important roles to play in our immune system.
If the appendix has a jam, it’s definitely the Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go. The organ always tease, tease, teases us with the possibility of appendicitis, an inflammation that is potentially life threatening if left alone. This said, since the appendix has long been touted to serve no known function, surgeons will even remove it as part of near any routine surgery. “While I’m in there, amiright?”
But that view has changed in recent years. New discoveries have led medical professionals to reassess the role of the appendix. Some experts believe it has an important role to play in our immune system, while others suggest a more sinister role.
Show your role
The appendix is a pinky-sized organ located at the junction of the large and small intestine. Image source: Shutterstock
For years, the medical profession believed the appendix was a vestigial organ — that is, it served a functional purpose in our evolutionary ancestors but has since lost that role. Goosebumps, for example, made our ancestors look larger and more intimidating, but they serve no function in the era of the full-body wax.
Similarly, scientists have posited that the appendix aided digestion in our leaf-noshing ancestors. Charles Darwin hypothesized humans once possessed a large cecum that stored special gut bacteria used to break down fibrous plant tissue. As our ancestors moved toward more easily digestible foods, such as fruit, our cecum began to shrink. The appendix, he wagered, was part of the cecum that shriveled to uselessness.
Today, the appendix loafs about in our abdomens, freeloading at the junction of your large and small intestines, where we pay little attention to it unless it becomes inflamed due to blockage or infection. Seeing as the appendix plays no known role, the response to such inflammation is simply to remove it, a procedure called an appendectomy.
A new study, however, suggests that…
The post How the appendix may kick-start Parkinson’s appeared first on FeedBox.