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, ...

People are often reminded that they are their own unique person -- and a new study says that's particularly true of the digestive tract. Dissections of a few dozen deceased individuals revealed ...

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 ...

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 ...

The descending colon is a section of the large intestine that passes downward. Its functions include storing food remains before they pass through the rest of the colon and rectum for elimination. The ...

The rectum is the end part of the large intestine that connects the colon to the anus. It is the area where a person holds stool before excreting it from the body. It is around 12–15cm in length. In ...

image: 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 ...