In anatomy, the appendix is a four-inch tube of tissue connected to the cecum at the start of the large intestine, located in the lower right abdomen. The appendix appears to serve no function in the modern human body, though some scientists have suggested the organ is a storage sac for healthy bacteria that can repopulate the intestines after digestive illnesses. The standard accepted view is that the appendix is a biological remnant of ancient human ancestors who ate only leaves.

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, 2017. 3p.