Previously unknown organ identified in the human gut

It was originally mistaken to be several separate structures.
(Image credit: iStock)

The human body has one more organ than anyone had originally thought.

The organ, called the mesentery, is nestled in the digestive system and was originally mistaken to be several separate structures, Science Alert reports. New research, though, has revealed that the organ is actually all a single continuous piece of the same whole and an argument for its reclassification as an organ has been presented in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Medical texts like Gray's Anatomy have already been updated to reflect the discovery.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.