For many years, the appendix was considered to be a useless part of the body. However, a new study has revealed that it provides a home for good bacteria in the digestive system.

A team of medical researchers from Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine proposed the answer. According to their findings, the appendix works like a secondary immune system as it releases beneficial bacteria into the gut whenever immune cells have depleted.

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A person can live without an appendix, but having it bolsters the body's immune capabilities.

Leading the research for eight years, anatomist Heather Smith studied other species with an appendix, and found 533 mammals with the organ. The animals came from different parts of the earth, thus they all have different diets and climates.

Smith's team was looking into similarities in the appendices between species to understand its purpose and if an animal's lifestyle could affect its function. 

"We failed to find a link between appendix presence and the dietary, ecological, and social characters," the researchers wrote.

The researchers found one similarity across all the species - all have a higher concentration of lymphoid tissue in the cecum. The cecum is the part of the digestive tract where the appendix attaches itself. The lymphoid tissue has immune cells that react when the body needs protection.

The gut contains trillions of microbes that assists the immune system. They live symbiotically with the food and mucous in the intestines. In return, these microbes, mostly good bacteria, provides extra nutrients and fight off infection-causing bacteria.

However, these microbes can be flushed away because of food poisoning or antibiotics. The appendix works as the "back-up" if this happens, repopulating the gut with microbes again.

In conclusion, humans can live normal lives without an appendix. Nonetheless, this study shows that having it intact in the body can provide a certain level of immunity and protection.