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AsapSCIENCE - Which Came First - The Chicken or the Egg?

Thumbnail of the video “AsapSCIENCE - Which Came First - The Chicken or the Egg?”
Community upload. AI output has not been independently verified.
Author: AsapSCIENCE
Categories: Nutrition
Tags: nutrition
Views: 3 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 19:03 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: The video concludes that regardless of definitions, the first true chicken came from an egg, so the egg came first. It frames the question as "the chicken or the chicken egg" and argues that the answer depends on how a "chicken egg" is defined.

Key Points

  • The question is simple if read literally, since egg-laying animals existed long before chickens, but the video reframes it as "the chicken or the chicken egg" to focus on the cycle of cause and consequence.
  • "Team Chicken" argues that the protein OV-17, which is needed to form chicken eggshells, is found only in chicken ovaries, so a chicken must come before a chicken egg.
  • "Team Egg" argues that the first chicken arose from a genetic mutation in the zygote of two proto-chickens, meaning the first chicken hatched from an egg.
  • The video rejects the idea that a single mutation creates a new species, comparing evolution to the gradual domestication of dogs from wolves over many generations.
  • The video concludes that the question is largely a matter of nomenclature, since the first true chicken came from an egg either way.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: No step-by-step instructions, preparation, dosages, or actionable advice are given; the video is an explanatory discussion of a philosophical and evolutionary question.
  • The video uses a hypothetical example: if an elephant laid an egg from which a lion hatched, would it be an elephant egg or a lion egg?
  • Two scenarios are presented: in one, early egg-laying species gradually led to a proto-chicken that laid proto-chicken eggs, with a mutation in one egg producing the first chicken (so the chicken came first); in the other, a proto-chicken gave birth to a chicken inside what would be classified as a chicken egg (so the egg came first).
  • The dog-from-wolf example illustrates selective pressures, such as favoring wolves that were less afraid of or less aggressive toward humans, producing large genetic and behavioral differences over many generations.
  • The video invites viewers to submit questions in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter, and to subscribe for weekly science videos.

Bottom Line

The answer depends on how a "chicken egg" is defined, but on the video's reasoning, the first true chicken still came from an egg, which makes the egg the earlier answer.