It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family's upcoming ski trip. But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow pants, ...

The appendix is a very small finger-like tissue attached to the beginning of the large intestine, in the lower right side of the abdomen. It is popularly known as a vestigial organ, as in one which ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Colbert is away from late-night TV following emergency surgery last week — the comedian's appendix burst. That made us wonder: What does the appendix do for our body? And why are ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can live without ...

(THE CONVERSATION) Most people know only two things about the appendix: You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the ...

Appendicitis progresses through four stages: simple (inflammation without complications), suppurative (inflammation with pus and ulcers), gangrenous (tissue death), and perforated (ruptured appendix).