Dissaperances of Appendix

T

Tristan

Leave your World Behind
Valued Senior Member
Some people, though very, very few and far between, are being born without appendix. Is this not proof of evolution? Do we need our appendix? Yes we once used it for something. Any Comments!?:bugeye:
 
It is rarely that anyone reads the appendix of a book. But some times you do need it. Nature is highly conservative. So may be we need it for a specific situation that eludes the testing environment. May be it is a somekind of filtration mechanism. May be it is used during baby stage or in old age....it took a long time to figure out how the NO synthesis occurs in the body....
 
What! This hamster’s appendix is gone! Fess up. Who took it? Nobody leaves until the hamster appendix is found.


“Nature is highly conservative.”

That statement could start an interesting discussion. This hamster does understand that systems that aren’t useful soon become dysfunctional. (Eyes in cave fish.) On the other hand “extra” or “useless” appendages may be “recruited” for new functions. A mutation that significantly altered a human appendix might not be life threatening and could lead to a new beneficial organ.
 
Originally posted by ImaHamster2
....On the other hand “extra” or “useless” appendages may be “recruited” for new functions. A mutation that significantly altered a human appendix might not be life threatening and could lead to a new beneficial organ.
Click to expand...

Imahamster,

It is interesting you mention this as I recently read a very interesting article in Scientific America that stated our ability to communicate verbally was most probably the result of a physical change in our larynx that occured for some other reason, but because the change gave us a wider vocal range, it was co-opted for the development of speach.

I think this is one of the major roles that mutation plays in evolution. Just one small, insignificant-at-the-time change, while not impacting the species at first, may give rise to other capabilities that would never have been possible without that initial small change.

Don't worry about your appendix being missing. Worry about the person who's appendix is there and performing some other function we don't yet know about.....
 
Myna birds (sp?) can vocalize too. But did not develop speech yet after many million years. There may be more to it than a functioning organ....
 
HEY....

I've had multiple X-rays to my teeth when I was younger and now that I'm older....all show that I don't have wisdom teeth...never there and will never come out. Yes, it's a blessing...specially after hearing everyone say how awful it is to get them removed and all that jazz. I also didn't have my bottom front teeth (you know, the little ones in the middle bottom)....my dentist said it was probably something to do with evolution since we don't really use wisdom teeth.:) Well, but what about the middle bottom teeth.....we use those, don't we?:confused:
 
Tristan said:
Some people, though very, very few and far between, are being born without appendix. Is this not proof of evolution? Do we need our appendix? Yes we once used it for something. Any Comments!?:bugeye:
Click to expand...
I have tried to answer this question myself. I've looked it up several years ago to try and explain it. I'm one of them. I was born without an appendix, gallbladder, tonsils and adenoids, wisdom teeth along with a few other odd things. This was first discovered when I got braces at 14, and they were looking to see when my wisdom teeth would grow in. To their surprise, I didn't even have wisdom teeth roots! Now I was young and just thought I got lucky!

A few years later I was at a doctors office because I wasn't feeling well and the doctor had asked me when I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out? I laughed and told him I never had surgeries. He just looked me oddly and brushed it off as if I was a young person who had no idea what I was talking about.

Then, when I was 23 I had a puncture in my lower intestine which it wasn't known at the time. They did a contrast CT scan on me and were shocked at what they found. I was missing my appendix and gallbladder and they could obviously tell that I had no had any surgeries done on me due to the lack of scarring. I was referred for a MRI because they were concerned these organs were hidden or lodged somewhere. And MRI proved that I was lacking these organs as well.

I'm now 29 years old, and I'm currently pregnant with my first born child. I'm due next month. I have had other rare issues during this pregnancy such as an umbilical cord varix which means the vein in the umbilical cord is dilated. Although this can be life threatening, it has served as a benefit to my unborn child. My unborn son has also signs of abnormalities on all his ultrasounds. He too, has upside down kidneys just like me (his mother). When I was sent for a fetal MRI to look into this issues further, it was discovered that he too, is missing his appendix and gallbladder! The doctors were concerned with this but I told them I was missing all of mine.

I don't know what factors could have played in this mutation I have, other than I know my family has a long history of appendicitis on both sides and my great grandfather even passed away from an appendix rupture. I also have a family history of severe dental issues including impacted wisdom teeth and abbess infections. However, I cannot explain the reasons of why I'm missing my gallbladder and tonsils.
 
Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy!

Secondly, welcome to sciforums. :)

Thirdly, have you ever had a genetic blood test?
 
Long denigrated as vestigial or useless, the appendix now appears to have a reason to be - as a "safe house" for the beneficial bacteria living in the human gut. The gut is populated with different microbes that help the digestive system break down the foods we eat.
Also immune system cells found in the appendix are there to protect the good gut bacteria.
 
Mine was tucked up behind the large appendix, making drs. think I didn't have one. It was 7 cm long and 3.5 cm wide when they finally took it out.
 
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