Which comes first? Chicken or egg???

It's not a joke, not a sing-song grammar school challenge, not a smarty-pants response from your dad. It's apparently, not even a question anymore. The chicken and egg debate has now come down to real, live science.

Researchers from two universities in England say that they've finally answered which came first. (Quick! Make your final guess!)

And the answer is?

Chicken.

Scientists say the age-old question comes down to one practicality -- the egg cannot be formed without the protein ovocledidin-17. This essential ingredient helps the shell develop and is produced solely inside the chicken. Therefore, if the egg must be produced inside the the chicken, the chicken got the whole thing started.

The researchers note that aside from solving this mystery (which, by the way, they said they long suspected would be a chicken before they actually had the scientific proof), the study could offer insight into shell production. That could lead to new nature-inspired developments in material design and technology.

If that's the case and a technology-or-egg question ensues, at least we'll already have a concrete response.

Were you right? Is this enough info for you or are you still convinced a shell broke before the first chick appeared?
Hmmm...