The origins of ovaries and testes (IMAGE) University of Pennsylvania Caption Studying embryonic development in mice and monkeys, researchers led by Kotaro Sasaki of Penn Vet discovered that a layer of cells known as the posterior intermediate mesoderm (far left) gives rise to the bipotential gonad (far right) early on in mammalian development. The bipotential gonad typically develops into either ovaries or testes. Understanding the molecular details of this process could help in intervening in disorders of sexual development. Credit Courtesy of Kotaro Sasaki Usage Restrictions in context of reporting License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.