Two Tulane University undergraduates discovered a previously undescribed muscle attachment deep in the pelvis during cadaver dissection in 2024, a finding that researchers say could have implications for hip surgery.
Fox News Digital reported on Nov. 5, 2026, that the discovery was made by Dominic Roy and Cooper Bruce, then 19-year-old sophomores volunteering in Tulane’s cadaver lab, and that the findings were published in the journal Clinical Anatomy.
The students were dissecting hips to compare where the iliacus joins the psoas major when Roy found an attachment on the other side of the iliac fascia near the inguinal region, the report said. Their professor, R. Shane Tubbs, Ph.D., director of surgical anatomy at Tulane School of Medicine, initially could not identify the structure.
Tubbs told Fox News Digital the discovery was “serendipity” and confirmed the structure is deep in the pelvis and extends to the front of the hip. The team has not yet determined the muscle’s specific function, but Tubbs said clues suggest it may help stabilize the psoas major.
The researchers reported that the attachment was not present in every cadaver and that they also identified a similar attachment in gorillas, raising questions about variation and possible evolutionary links. The next steps described by Tubbs include determining whether the attachment can be seen on MRI and whether its presence correlates with symptoms.
Fox News Digital quoted Tubbs outlining possible clinical implications: if visible on imaging, the attachment could be a target for rehabilitation, injections or surgical consideration in patients with hip symptoms. The report noted those applications remain speculative pending further study.
The students, now seniors, have said the discovery influenced their medical career plans; Roy told Fox News Digital he intends to enter a master’s program in anatomy.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
