NEW ARTICLE: Homologous Reproductive Structures

I have a new article up about homologous reproductive structures. These are the different structures in males and females that form from the same embryonic tissue. For example, the head/glans of the penis and the glans of the clitoris come from the same tissue that originally forms in the embryo. They differentiate as the embryo becomes male or female.

With all of the differences between males and females, it is sometimes hard to imagine that we all started out identically. When fertilization occurs, the egg, which contains an “X” chromosome from the mother, and the sperm, which may contain an “X” or a “Y” chromosome, from the father, unites. If the sperm contained the “X” chromosome, the baby will be born genetically female. Conversely, if the baby receives the “Y” chromosome, the baby will be born genetically male.

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