So, trivia today might not be brilliant today. However, according to researchers at Sheffield and Warwick universities, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Simple, yes??

Nancy.

Good question, too. I will guess the chicken came first since I can't imagine an egg evolving on its own. Actually, I should wait for TM! He should know this for sure. I reserve the right to change my mind after reading what everyone else says!!! ;)

Cynthia

Annette

Here's what I'm thinking. Before chickens evolved into chickens, they were something else. The something elses mated and there was a mutation in one of the eggs that caused the offspring to be more chicken-like than mom and dad. Let's call it a chickenoid. The chickenoid passed its mutated genes on to other generations which eventually evolved into actual chickens. Without that first egg with the DNA mutation, there would have been no chickens, so the egg came first.

How does that sound? Pretty good? It's the best I can do.

TM

Annette

Annette, I'll run it by Chuck, too.

Cynthia

Nancy.

Cynthia

Annette

It seems like an old saw. In college, one instructor of mine purported that the egg came first because dinosaurs laid eggs, but it if you keep is all about the chickens, that`s not fair. I found this noodling around on the internet, from msnbc:

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.
Professor John Harding, from the same department, said the discovery could have other uses, according to the Daily Mail. "Understanding how chickens make egg shells is fascinating in itself but can also give clues towards designing new materials and processes," he said.
"Nature has found innovative solutions that work for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology - we can learn a lot from them." The discovery was revealed in the paper Structural Control Of Crystal Nuclei By An Eggshell Protein.

So, Annette - good for you, for sticking with your gut!!

Thanks for playing this week - that was fun!!

Nancy.

Thanks, Nancy. Off to look at your watercolors.

Cynthia

Fun question, Nancy. Thanks for the brain exercise.

TM

Nancy.

Annette

Nancy.