Redesigning Human Body Systems: Effective Pedagogical Strategy for Promoting Active Learning and STEM Education

Table 6

10 useless body parts as reported by the science channel.

Useless body part as reported by the science channel	Meaning or definition	Organ/non-organ and why	Organ system it belongs to	Agree or disagree with science channel and why?
(1) Male nipples
(2) Appendix
(3) Wisdom teeth
(4) Arrector pili
(5) Coccyx
(6) Tonsils
(7) Adenoids
(8) Sinuses
(9) Body hair
(10) Plica semilunaris
(11) Your chosen body part (organ)

The human intestine contains trillions of microbes of at least 1,000 different species. Scientists are interested in learning more about how these organisms affect our lives and health. These types of studies have improved our understanding of the interactions between the normal gut flora and the immune system which led to the identification of the appendix as an apparent safe-house for normal gut bacteria. In a recent article, Bollinger et al. [6] proposed that “the human appendix is well suited as a “safe house” for communal bacteria, providing support for bacteria growth and potentially facilitating reinoculation of the colon in the event that contents of the intestinal tract are purged following exposure to a pathogen.” (p. 826). In additional, more and more recent articles add a much stronger refutation of the appendix as useless. Students are advised to look at, for example, the article written by Im et al. [7] in which the authors argue that the presence of an appendix might have a significant and independent function in helping to protect humans against Clostridium difficile recurrence (CDI) which causes gastrointestinal infection resulting in diarrhea and colitis. Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic, and gram-positive bacterium that is raised in the human gut. Furthermore, another interesting study indicated that the cecal appendix may be viewed as a part of the immune system because is vital to life in a “natural” environment, but which is poorly suited to postindustrialized societies [8]. The conclusion is that teachers and instructors must emphasize the fact that something can be of use and still a vestige, as long as the use is greatly diminished.