So which did come first the chicken or the egg?
Oh no – another creation/evolution debate!!
Why do we park on aggrys but drive on rocks so big God can’t lift them?
oh, and “aglet.”
Well of course the chicken came first, the egg came a few months later. Damn, didn’t anyone else have barnyard biology? 
O.K., banal question, but I’ll bite.
The egg.
What we consider as the modern chicken had to evolve from another bird - call this a “protochicken”. At some point during this evolution a protochicken gave rise to the first chicken. This happened when the offspring differed from the parent enough to be considered chickens rather than protochickens. These offspring began their lives as eggs. Thus, the egg came first.
Tracer is right, this in actuality is a very old evolution vs. creation question. I wouldn’t have posted at all except for the fact that I am greatly amused by the word “protochicken”. No, I don’t know why.
-Beeblebrox
“In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
A chicken and egg were laying in bed. The egg gazes over at the chicken, takes a long drag on a cigarette and says: “Well, I guess that answers that question.”
protochicken… aaaahaaahhaaa stop stop you’re killing me
proto… chicken… heheheheheheee stop I can’t breathe, pant pant…
perrrrrotochicken… hee hee hooo haaaaaaaaaggghhhh
Actually, Beeblebrox is right. My cousin (a Biology teacher) answered the question thusly:
The Egg would have had to carry the mutation that turned the previous bird into what we call a “chicken”. Therefore, the egg, being the first stage in the “chicken’s” development, came first.
Fish lay eggs. Insects lay eggs. Dinosaurs laid eggs. There were all around long before the first chicken.
Yep, that’s proved by paleontologry.
VileOrb wrote:
I’m kinda partial to “ur-chicken” or “eochicken” myself.
Aw, c’mon Tracer. What about “überchicken?”
Consider the chart below.
Each line represents a meta-generation. A
meta-generation is the number of generations
it takes for a change in DNA to spread throughout
a breeding population. A meta-generation naturally
consists of many minor generations, those
generations in which a DNA change has not yet completely
spread throughout the breeding population.
Let us say that B represents the number of DNA changes
which would have to accumulate before a daughter species
(the chicken) could be said to have split off from a
mother species (the proto-chicken), or the point at which
a member of the daughter species would not have been
able to interbreed with the mother species. I have
aribitrarily set that number at 40.
Bear in mind that new DNA changes would probably be arising
even before earlier DNA changes had finished spreading
through the breeding population. This means that there would
be many different combinations of DNA changes in succeeding
minor generations. This means of course that each minor
generation would be able to interbreed with those minor
generations immediately previous to it and following it.
So now let’s look at the chart. X represents original DNA,
O represents a change in the original DNA:
1–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXO
3–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOO
4–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOO
5–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOO
6–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOO
7–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOO
8–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOO
9–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOO
10-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOO
11-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
12-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOO
13-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOO
14-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOO
15-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
16-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
17-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
18-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
19-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
20-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
21-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
22-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
23-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
24-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
25-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
26-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
27-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
28-XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
29-XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
30-XXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
31-XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
32-XXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
33-XXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
34-XXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
35-XXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
36-XXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
37-XXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
38-XXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
39-XXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
40-XOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
41-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Now, here is the problem. * There would have
been no single generation in any of the minor
generations or the meta-generations when it
would not have been able to interbreed
with the generations immediately preceding
and following it.* Meta-generations 1-5
would still have been able to interbreed with
meta-generations 6-10 (assuming they are not
seperated by space and/or time and actually
have physical access to each other). In other
words, there is no exact point at
which the mother species transmutes or splits off
into the daughter species. It is not possible
to draw an exact boundary line between the
chicken and the proto-chicken.
It’s the old Greek ship problem. Let’s say
that we have a Greek war ship. Every few
weeks or months, it is necessary to replace
a plank here and a plank there, to replace
the mast(s) and the ropes, and so on. At what
point can you say that the original ship is
no longer there?
Neither the chicken nor the chicken egg
came into existence first. They came into
existence simultaneously.
No applause, please. I will now turn my
genius to the problems of world hunger
and world peace.
[Homer]
mmmmm . . . proto-chicken
[/Homer]
Too easy… You need a chicken to hatch an egg, therefore the Chicken came first, and God saw the Chicken that it was good
Lonesome Polecat’s post is kind of tardo.
The conclusion states that the chicken and the CHICKEN egg came into being simultaneously. But that’s not the question: the question merely says “egg,” not “chicken egg.” Not answering the question asked is the oldest trick in the book. (Well, maybe not the oldest…)
Having said that, I don’t think the chart inherently makes the case that egg/chicken appear simultaneously. That first line represents the aforementioned protochicken, right? So what appeared before that? We can reasonably assume that the first line does not represent the first moment of time; something came before that. The so called “mother” species is in fact a daughter or granddaughter species. There was still some egg-laying creature in existence before that. So barring semantic trickery, the answer still stands: egg comes first.
andros wrote:
When you find yourself in danger,
When you’re threatened by a stranger,
When it looks like you will take a licken
(cluck cluck cluck cluck)
There is someone waiting who
Will harry up [sic] and rescue you,
Just caaaaaaaaaaaaall UP on Überchicken!
(buck-aaaack!)
I have particularly fond memories of the Super Chicken cartoon show from my youth, because in every episode Fred would say my real-life full name.
Your name was Henry Cabot Henhouse III? 