--- description: There is a correlation between the formation of genitals and limbs, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard Medical School. title: Genitals May Have Formed Like Limbs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Research](/tag/research/) ## Research Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Human Genitals May Have Formed In The Same Way As Limbs by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2014 7:40 AM CUT by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2014 7:40 AM CUT There is a strong correlation between the formation of genitals and limbs, the _Boston_ _Globe_ [reports](http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/science/2014/11/05/harvard-researchers-unravel-evolution-genitalia/LVnJz0bvjxmUYz4rWuw7rM/story.html?rss%5Fid=Top-GNP "undefined"), citing a study conducted by researchers from the Harvard Medical School and [published](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13819.html "undefined") in the journal _Nature_. Researchers examined the genetic processes that take place during the development of embryos in various animals, and also performed complex cell-transplant surgeries to see if they could get genitals to grow elsewhere. They partially succeeded — causing genital-like buds to form in a chicken embryo — by using the cells that generally form hind limbs. Patrick Tschopp, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard, pointed out that babies born with poorly formed limbs often also possess poorly formed genitalia. “We knew there was some sort of genetic link between the two, and this could provide some information about where these genetic links are,” he said. [Read more at the _Boston_ _Globe_](http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/science/2014/11/05/harvard-researchers-unravel-evolution-genitalia/LVnJz0bvjxmUYz4rWuw7rM/story.html?rss%5Fid=Top-GNP "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3560279/human-genitals-limbs-formation-harvard-medical-school/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3560279/human-genitals-limbs-formation-harvard-medical-school/"},"headline":"Human Genitals May Have Formed In The Same Way As Limbs","datePublished":"2014-11-06T07:40:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:15:52.043Z","description":"Harvard researchers probe genetic connections between the two","url":"https://time.com/3560279/human-genitals-limbs-formation-harvard-medical-school/","keywords":["Research","animals","Evolution","Snakes"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3560279/human-genitals-limbs-formation-harvard-medical-school/","name":"Human Genitals May Have Formed In The Same Way As Limbs"}}]}] ```