Our appendix is often considered a useless organ, but is there any chance it might have a hidden function?

Question

Our appendix is often considered a useless organ, but is there any chance it might have a hidden function?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The appendix is no longer believed to be useless.

It is a useful organ that can serve as a storage room for healthy (good) bacteria. It’s also believed to be a place that can help your gut produce important immune cells. 

Having an appendix can help prevent infectious diseases (of the gut).

However, it’s not *necessary*. Most of the time our gut microbiome and our immune response to infections is good enough even without the appendix, so losing it is not a big deal.