Tonsils, appendix, gallbladder: is anything actually useless?

You might know them as "vestigial" organs, but we no longer overlook organs that aren’t vital for life. While they can be removed, your tonsils, appendix and gallbladder play important roles in the body. Norman and Tegan define what "vestigial" actually means, and how our bodies adapt to losing an organ. References: How Do We Know What Human Organs Do? - JSTOR Daily Tonsils, adenoids and throat infections — do doctors still recommend surgery? - ABC News Association of Long-Term Risk of Respiratory, Allergic, and Infectious Diseases With Removal of Adenoids and Tonsils in Childhood Influence of Tonsillectomy on Various Disease Outcomes: An Outcome-wide Association Analysis and Mendelian Randomization Analysis Cytokine production in patients with recurrent acute tonsillitis: analysis of tonsil samples and blood - PMC Association of Long-Term Risk of Respiratory, Allergic, and Infectious Diseases With Removal of Adenoids and Tonsils in Childhood - PMC Microbial Composition of Human Appendices from Patients following Appendectomy Long-term impacts of appendectomy associated with increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease, infection, and colorectal cancer Cholecystectomy (Gallbladder Removal) If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Why do we have wisdom teeth? Can peptides keep you young and buff? Is it OK to exercise when you're sick?

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Tonsils, appendix, gallbladder: is anything actually useless? is an episode from Coronacast by Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

This episode is 0:20:00 long.

This episode was published on Apr 28, 2026.

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