Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
British scientists claim to have solved the mystery.
msnbc.com
updated 7/14/2010
6:17:55 AM ET
It is an age-old riddle that has perplexed generations: Which came
first, the chicken or the egg?
Now British scientists claim to have finally come up with the definitive
answer: The chicken.
The scientific and philosophical mystery was purportedly unraveled by
researchers at Sheffield and Warwick
universities, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.
The scientists found that a protein found only in a chicken's ovaries is
necessary for the formation of the egg, according to the paper Wednesday. The
egg can therefore only exist if it has been created inside a chicken.
The protein speeds up the development of the hard shell, which is essential
in protecting the delicate yolk and fluids while the chick grows inside the
egg, the report said.
"It had long been suspected that the egg came first but now we have the
scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first," said
Dr.
Colin Freeman, from Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials,
according to the Mail.
"The protein had been identified before and it was linked to egg
formation, but by examining it closely we have been able to see how it controls
the process," he said.