Egg or chicken, what came first? Scientists have the answer

'What came first, egg or chicken?' This is indeed an age-old question and has left people puzzled for centuries. For a long time, there has been no definitive answer. However, evolutionary science has an interesting perspective which might leave many surprised.

According to science, eggs evolved millions of years ago before chickens. Jules Howard, a zoology reporter and author of Infinite Life, noted that the first egg is closely linked to the origin of life itself. According to reports, eggs have been crucial for the survival of many lives.



It acted as the life-supporting capsule that enabled genetic diversity. Scientists believe that the earliest eggs were very different from the ones known today, likely laid by worms or jellyfish. This study suggests that eggs appeared long before animals emerged on land.

This clarifies that eggs existed long before chickens. Dr Ellen Mather, a paleontologist (Flinders University) supports this view. As she explains, the answer is eggs, holistically, and chickens evolved much later.

It is believed that chickens have descended from wild birds that adapted to living near human settlements which lead to their domestication. Earlier, researchers believed that chickens were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. However, recent research suggests that domestication of chicken occured between 1250 BC and 1650 BC in Southeast Asia.

As per the latest research reports, the age of the chicken is around 3500 years. On the other hand, the age of egg, particularly the hard-shelled ones, date back to million of years, to the time of dinosaurs, who laid the first hard-shelled eggs. So, as per evolutionary science and its standpoint, eggs came into existence much before chickens.

However, Dr Mather also argued that if the classic version of the question is focused, the answer changes. As per the study, the first chicken hatched from an egg laid by a bird that was not a 'true chicken,' known as the red jungle fowl. Thus, the egg evolved first but the chicken came before the 'true chicken egg.

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