Scientists Finally Reveal a Sho:cking Answer to the ’Chicken-or-Egg’ Dilemma

The Scientific Verdict

According to evolutionary biologists, the egg came first—but not the egg you’re probably imagining.

Long before chickens existed, animals that were almost chickens laid eggs. At some point, a genetic mutation occurred inside one of those eggs, resulting in the very first true chicken. In other words, the egg containing the first chicken was laid by a bird that wasn’t quite a chicken yet.

So while chickens lay eggs today, the original chicken actually hatched from an egg laid by a different species.