The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix. The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix. The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix. The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix. The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix. The most common explanation is that the appendix is a vestigial structure with no absolute purpose. In The Story of Evolution, Joseph McCabe argued thus: The vermiform appendage-in which some recent medical writers have vainly endeavoured to find a utility-is the shrunken remainder of a large and normal intestine of a remote ancestor. This interpretation of it would stand even if it were found to have a certain use in the human body. Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost. One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Darwin:[3] that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. Over time, we have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved, over millions of years, for this organ to be smaller to make room for our stomach.It may be a vestigial organ of ancient man that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the Koala. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines and is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Early man's ancestor must have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat more easily digested foods, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy. The cecum became less necessary for digestion and mutations that previously had been deleterious were now neutrally selected against. These alleles became more frequent and the cecum continued to shrink. After thousands of years, the once-necessary cecum has degraded to what we see today; the appendix.
The appendix is what remained of the original human caecum. That is to say, our ancestors used it to digest cellulose (plant material). As humans became more and more dependent on meat, and less so on plant material, mutations that were degenerated the appendix were no longer selected against, and so the appendix became the small, mostly useless organ that it is today, although there are some arguments that it maintains a small part of it's original function in hosting cellulose-digesting bacteria.
See the Related Link for more information.
The appendix actually forms early on in the development of a fetus where it coats the intestinal area with a sort of protective antibacterial paint. After birth it begins to assist in beneficial bacterial growth and becomes a sort of reboot system harboring the bacteria in the case of a purge. It is also believed the appendix has a role in b-lymphocyte induction, though not as much as in bone marrow.
Nobody can be sure because we don't really know what type of organ it used to be. What is known is that it is made of lymphatic tissue, like your tonsils and lymph nodes, so it probably still has some of that function. If you consider that the gastrointestinal tract has a large number of bacteria, most of which are helpful, that sometimes we need a protective mechanism for the 'bad bugs' that try to invade, having tonsil-like tissue in this area seems logical. There are other similar structures called Peyers patches, just on the other side of the ileoceal valve and they are lymphoid structures as well that line the last part of the small intestine. Again, another good idea, especially if you tend to be constipated and let those 'bad-bugs' hang around long enough to potentially cause trouble.
The appendix was once used to aid in the digestion of plant materials (vegetation).
In humans the appendix is now a vestigial feature (has no function).
he Appendix and the Tonsils seem to have no significant function. And, although not organs, one could argue that the Coccyx and some of the toes are redundant. But not the big toe!Added:Vestigial organs.
The appendix is considered to be a vestigial organ or an organ that once had a purpose but over the course of evolution it lost its purpose or main function. Because of this the appendix does not work with any other systems to help keep our body healthy.
You are thinking of the appendix but it does have a purpose or we would have lost it long ago. The appendix is usually located in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, near the right hip bone.Its' position within the abdomen corresponds to a point on the surface known as McBurney's point . It has an immunologic function like the spleen.
Are called vestigial organs and there are several very nice examples on both sides of the 'Gender Fence'.
In college text books they do not acknowledge that the appendix has any valuable function. However lets think about it because these are the facts: The appendix stores seeds that you eat and it is part of the digestive tract to absorb nutrients and fluid. Seeds are loaded with nutritional value. They take longer to absorb. If you give your appendix nutrient rich seeds you will have a healthy appendix. If you do something like eat a lot of cooked black pepper this will irritate your appendix cause inflammation and possibly a bursted appendix. This is because of the chemical change with cooked black pepper as a seed that occurs after cooking not in it's raw state.
The appendix is a flap on the large intestine. It serves almost no purpose.
I believe that the original word appendix came from Latin.
appendix means a slender outgrowth or an appendage to the original structure. But the word appendix is loosely used for 'vermiform appendix'. Vermiform means worm like. vermiform appendix is, a vestigial organ of the human body, located at the start of large intestine (prcisely caecum).
Embryologically for the production of B-Cells. After which it has no purpose.
Appendix
he Appendix and the Tonsils seem to have no significant function. And, although not organs, one could argue that the Coccyx and some of the toes are redundant. But not the big toe!Added:Vestigial organs.
That would be: the Appendix. Its full name is: Vermiform Appendix/ It is a vestigal structure which has lost its original function.
They have no obvious purpose.
Appendectomies are performed to treat appendicitis, an inflamed and infected appendix.
Appendectomies are performed to treat appendicitis, an inflamed and infected appendix.
The appendix is not really needed in the human body, it is just there to help your body with digestion.
The appendix.