In a recent study published by the New York University School of Medicine, researchers report the discovery of a new organ termed the “interstitium.”

The interstitium is a layer of fluid-filled sections kept together by a network of collagen, a structural protein found in skin, and elastin, a flexible protein that forms the main component of connective tissue. This organ is quite literally almost everywhere — just below our skin, surrounding our digestive system, urinary tract, and lungs, and covering the fibrous tissues between our muscles. So why, if this organ is so widely spread out throughout the body, why are we just discovering it now?

Conventional tissue imaging methods

Typically, in order to study tissue samples, researchers thinly slice the tissue and add chemicals to identify components of the sample more easily. However, the addition of various chemicals to the sample effectively drains the fluid out of the sample. Without fluid, the interstitium essentially collapses, similar to if you were draining the liquid out of a water bed, the entirety of the bed would cave in, leaving you with nothing but a thin layer of mattress.

To find the interstitium, researchers imaged live tissue using a technique called confocal laser endomicroscopy. This method involves using a tiny camera probe to explore parts of the body unable to be seen by conventional tissue imaging methods. The endoscope uses lasers to light up parts of the tissue and the fluorescent patterns reflected by the tissue are detected by the sensors on the scope.

Accidental discovery of a new organ

While exploring the body using the endoscope, scientists came across what looked like tears in dense tissue. After taking images of the sample, researchers accidentally discovered the new organ.

So, what does it do? Researchers hypothesize that the interstitium acts as a source of lymph, a colorless fluid full of white blood cells, which help fight foreign bodies and support our immunity. Scientists speculate that knowing more about the function of the interstitium may help in understanding how a disease spreads and possibly discovering mechanisms to prevent the spread of diseases, such as cancer.

What the future has in store for research and medicine

A couple days ago, we woke up to the news that we have an entirely new organ that exists in almost every part of our body. The implications of this finding are drastic and truly show how much we don’t know about our own bodies. It is through the power of research and technological advancements that we will continue to discover new and incredible findings, not only in the human body but also the entirety of the realms of science. Just think about it: if it took us until now to find an entirely new organ in our body, imagine how many more mysteries we still have yet to find.