Simon Miya, age 7, of West Jordan, Utah, for his question:

WHY DOES A PERSON HAVE AN APPENDIX?

An appendix is a narrow tube. An open end attaches to the first part of the large intestine, called the secum. The other end is closed. It lies in the lower part of a person's abdomen.

The appendix is found in man, the higher apes, some various other animals and some rodents. Rodents, such as the rat, have a long appendix that functions as a digestive organ.

In man, the appendix appears to have no function at all. Some scientists believe that the appendix lost its function through evolution. At one time it helped man in the digestive process, but it is no longer needed.

An inflamed appendix will cause a disease known as appendicitis.