• Question: What organ do you need the least?

    Asked by james to Craig, Devon, Marta, Natalie, Nicholas on 6 Mar 2017. This question was also asked by laura140804, Theo agent Tyszkies.
    • Photo: Marta Varela

      Marta Varela answered on 6 Mar 2017:

      Very interesting question.

      The appendix is a good candidate, I think. It seems to have been useful to our ancestors, but to no longer really be needed by modern humans. That is why most people just have it removed when it becomes ill with appendicitis.

    • Photo: Nicholas Younger

      Nicholas Younger answered on 6 Mar 2017:

      You can survive with one kidney (I only have one and I’m doing just fine!). So you can definitely get rid of one.

      The appendix used to be my standard answer, but recent research has shown that it does actually have an important purpose! It acts as a home for a lot of the healthy bacteria that live in your gut, and that you need to be healthy.

      If you have eaten something poisonous (like that you’re allergic to that gives you an upset tummy) it might injure the part of the gut that food passes through and wipe out a lot of the good bacteria. But because food doesn’t pass through the appendix, the bacteria in it are safe, and can re-populate your gut after injury. So it is important – but you can live without it.

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