This story is part of a series exploring human anatomy and physiology complexities. Each story in this collection showcases discoveries reshaping our understanding of the body's inner workings, ...

Tourists visiting an unfamiliar city would have a hard time finding their way around if they were using nothing but a topological map, no matter how detailed. Most tourist maps, therefore, highlight ...

This is part of a series of stories on the protective role of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in the gut and other tissues, focusing on SARS-CoV-2 infection. One area that hasn’t received all that much ...

New research finds there is significant variation in the anatomy of the human digestive system, with pronounced differences possible between healthy individuals. The finding has implications for ...

The large intestine—which includes the cecum, colon, rectum, and anus—is a key part of the digestive system. It's a long, thin organ at the end of your digestive tract where your body produces and ...

The gut microbiome is an important ecosystem of microbes that lives in each one of us, and its strength affects our overall health. However, the small intestine is an underappreciated part of the gut ...