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The Chicken May Have Come Before the Egg

Muondecay writes "The age old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, has been tentatively answered. The verdict? The chicken, or rather a key protein needed to form the shell of the egg. The protein, called ovocledidin-17, was known to be involved in binding calcite molecules that formed the shells, but the mechanism behind this was unclear until now. The protein acts as a molecular machine, binding to nanoparticles of calcite and guiding them to begin self-assembly of the shell. This gives tremendous insight for developing methods of nano-scale self-assembly based on natural processes, as well as settling heated cocktail party arguments everywhere."

5 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Okay then. by line-bundle · · Score: 4, Funny

    Which came first, the egg or the eggshell.

    Thank me when this becomes a major philosophical debating point.

    1. Re:Okay then. by Cow+Jones · · Score: 4, Funny

      The whole thing is moot. If we really wanted to know which came first, we'd only have to conduct a relevant experiment. Although this could be one of those experiments where observation can alter the outcome...

      CJ

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  2. Re:Holy bad link by nacturation · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps the egg shell developed as a result of a cookie setting error? Did chickens really eat cookies back then?

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  3. Re:Me fail logic? That's purple! by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The bit. This is all a simulation.

  4. Re:The egg came first.. by gillbates · · Score: 4, Funny

    What gave birth to that egg was not 100% chicken.. So Say I.

    Yeah, but I bet still tasted like chicken.

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