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BOB HIRSHON (host):
Is the appendix useless? I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
Listener Megan Salazar of Escondido, California, called with this question:
MEGAN SALAZAR (listener):
What is your appendix for, anyway?
HIRSHON:
Well, biologist Dan Fong of American University says the appendix is widely considered a vestigial organ, meaning it’s left over from an earlier time in our evolution.
DANIEL FONG (American University):
Our appendix probably was a very large chamber in our distant ancestor to house a lot of bacteria to digest plant material. When we switched over to a meat-based diet we had less use for it, and in fact we now don’t have any use for it.
HIRSHON:
And of course it can cause problems, requiring an appendectomy if it gets inflamed. If you have a science question, call us at 1-800-why-isit. If we use it on the air, you’ll win a Science Update mug. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.