--- title: Which Came First? The Egg. description: An answer to the age-old question canonical: https://time.com/3418718/which-came-first-the-egg/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-22T16:40:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:42.391Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Which Came First? The Egg. og:description: An answer to the age-old question og:url: https://time.com/3418718/which-came-first-the-egg/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Which Came First? The Egg. twitter:description: An answer to the age-old question twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Which Came First? The Egg. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Milo Sumner / Lost At E Minor](https://time.com/author/lost-at-e-minor-zolton-zavos/) ## Milo Sumner / Lost At E Minor Sep 22, 2014 4:40 PM UTC by [Milo Sumner / Lost At E Minor](https://time.com/author/lost-at-e-minor-zolton-zavos/) ## Milo Sumner / Lost At E Minor Sep 22, 2014 4:40 PM UTC  _This_ [_article_](http://www.lostateminor.com/2014/09/22/chicken-egg-answers-last/) _originally appeared on Lost at E Minor._ Forgot world peace, poverty and climate change. All these problems pale in comparison to an age old question that has plagued mankind since mankind had the brains to be plagued by such things. That question is: what came first, the chicken or the egg? If like us, you’ve sat around with your clever hat on arguing with your friends that you’ve solved the millennia old conundrum, then perhaps it’s time you thought again. Then again, you could pick either the chicken or the egg and you’d have a fifty fifty chance of being right. But if you want to know the why’s and the how’s then you gotta watch this explanatory short video by [ASAP Science](https://www.youtube.com/user/AsapSCIENCE). (via [Twisted Sifter](http://twistedsifter.com/videos/why-the-egg-came-first/)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3418718/which-came-first-the-egg/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3418718/which-came-first-the-egg/"},"headline":"Which Came First? 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