On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 9:55 PM, Rick Pikul<rwpikul_at_sympatico.ca> wrote:
> On Sunday 23 August 2009 04:02, inkwell_01 wrote:
>> Whiskers in the trio's world might fall, (more or
>> less), into the human appendix catagory; there but
>> not needed anymore. [And humans still don't know
>> what's the appendix is for. Maybe...to make it
>> easier to eat grass,(ugh), or nuts and berries,
>> [OR....highly refined sugar products like cupcakes - mmmmm...cupcakes.]
>
> Actually the caecum, (which the vermiform appendix is a vestige of), helps in
> the fermentation of cellulose. It also has some role in the immune system,
> which the vermiform appendix seems to retain, but it is neither a specialized
> nor a vital role, (it includes gut-associated lymphoid tissue in its
> structure).
One thing it does is to house a collection of beneficial bacteria,
which is also a part of the digestive immune system.
--
Zach Collins
"If code can be speech, then software can be art."
Received on Tue Aug 25 2009 - 22:57:15 CDT