It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, Ariz. and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family's upcoming ski trip. But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow ...

You don’t need it – and if it bursts, you need surgery fast. That basic story traces back at least to Charles Darwin, the ...

MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Colbert is away from late-night TV following emergency surgery last week — the comedian's appendix burst. That made us wonder: What does the appendix do for our body? And why are ...

The human body is still a mystery, and some organs have largely been considered useless in one way or another. However, the ...

Doctors explain which organs humans can live without, how the body adapts after organ loss, and the long-term health effects ...