How did what could be the largest human organ elude us until 2018?

Back when he was a young student in medical school some 30 years ago, pathologist Neil Theise wasn't taught much about a common, widespread connective tissue in human bodies. Scientists assumed it was just a typical connective tissue, so they didn't look much further.

"You see what you’re prepared to see," Theise, now a pathologist at New York University's Langone Medical Center, said in an interview. Now, he knows differently.

"It looks like it's connective tissue — but it's not."

Theise and his research team published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports on Tuesday, revealing that this thin tissue — when alive — is a lattice-like mesh of fluid-filled bubbles. They've named it the "interstitium." And if this widespread anatomical feature is more widely proven by other scientists, it wouldn't just be one of the larger organs in the human body. Read more...

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