Scientists: Appendix Protects Good Germs
October 6th, 2007 By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
Graphic locates the appendix
(AP) -- 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.
Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .
Similar stories from PHYSorg:
Appendix isn't useless at all: It's a safe house for bacteria
Oct 08, 2007 |
4.7 / 5 (13) |
0
New software dramatically speeds enzyme design
Feb 16, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Research Finds New Cause of Ozone Wheezing and Potential Treatments
Feb 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Communication gap exists between seniors and surgeons, study finds
Jul 31, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
Trees, forests and the Eiffel tower reveal theory of design in nature
Aug 14, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (19) |
3
-
AllHeart - Oct 06, 2007
- Rank: not rated yet
Recently I'd been pondering the appendix and found that low fibre diet could cause infection. (My appendix was removed when I was a child). Now the question is: how does the immune system compensate for the lack of appendix?- flag
