This structure, called the rete ovarii, was first discovered in humans over a century ago, but until now, it was considered a so-called vestigial structure — not crucial in adult female anatomy ...

Called the rete ovarii, the structure was first spotted in 1870. With no clear function, researchers labeled it as vestigial. That classification has endured for generations.

The rete ovarii seems to communicate with the ovary by directing a flow of protein-packed fluids through its long, tubular structure into the organ, researchers report March 19 in eLife.

Research into the rete ovarii, an appendage of the ovaries that has previously been dismissed as useless, suggests it has an important role after all.

Expression of PAX2 in the ovary. PAX2 was detected in the glands of endometriosis, endosalpingiosis, and rete ovarii in the ovary, but not in the ovarian stroma, surface epithelium, or surface ...

This structure, called the rete ovarii, was first discovered in humans over a century ago, but until now, it was considered a so-called vestigial structure — not crucial in adult female anatomy ...

The rete ovarii, a poorly understood structure connected to the ovaries, may be much more essential to ovarian function than scientists initially thought.