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Object

appendix

A pair of beige, segmented structures resembling an appendix, with a central loop and two branching ends, set against a black background.

A narrow, blind-ended tube branching off the cecum at the start of the large intestine, around five to ten centimetres long in adults. Once thought to be wholly vestigial, the appendix is now suspected of acting as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, repopulating the intestine after illness. It is best known clinically for appendicitis, a sudden inflammation that, if untreated, can rupture and kill within days.

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