What came first: the egg or the chicken? There has been a dispute about this puzzle for years. Scientists already know

On the one hand, the chicken and egg question is funny, on the other hand, it is a real cause-and-effect dilemma. People have been wondering for years which came first. Could an egg have appeared in the world without a chicken, and could a chicken have appeared on earth without hatching from an egg? This issue has been the subject of philosophers’ considerations since ancient times.

What was the chicken made of? The theory of evolution makes this clear

From a scientific point of view, the egg came first. The first birds appeared in shells about 325 million years ago, and the first birds appeared about 165 million years ago. According to evolutionary theory, birds evolved from earlier forms of life and over time began to resemble modern domestic chickens. , which existed long before chickens existed, used eggs for reproduction. When the organism, which was not yet fully identified with a chicken, laid an egg, as a result of the genetic changes that took place in it, a chicken hatched that looked just like today.

Which came first: the egg or the chicken? The latest research is surprising

It would seem that the answer is clear and the topic is closed. However, the latest research shows that the chicken came first. Scientists from the universities of Nanjing and Bristol published their research results in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. They examined 51 fossil organisms and 29 living species. They discovered that the oldest reptiles and birds did not lay eggs but gave birth to young. ‘EER was a primitive means of reproduction,’ explained Professor Michael Benton of the Bristol School of Earth Sciences. EER is extended embryo retention, i.e. the retention of embryos by the mother for a specified period of time. So the first thing was the prolonged retention of the embryo, and only later did oviparity appear.