What came first, the chicken or the egg?

This question came to mind when Andrew Whitbread-Brown took this photo at his Cardiff Heights property, known fondly as Trashacres.

We don't have the answer. But it's late in the day and we're feeling hungry. So for us, the phrase "winner, winner, chicken dinner" is coming to mind.

But for the chicken's sake, we do hope there's no snakes near that ladder.

Andrew's question made us wonder whether anyone had actually answered the question of what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Surely the egg came first. How could the chicken come first? But then, hang on, how could the egg come first?

It's a bit like a circle, isn't it? No beginning and no end. It's right about now that Alice starts to appear, trying to lure us down the rabbit hole.

Maybe some super-smart scientists can help us. After they've found a vaccine for COVID-19, that is.

Hang on though, the Australian Academy of Science is all over this stuff.

On its website, science.org.au, it asks: "Which came first: the chicken or the egg?"

"It's such a tricky question because you need a chicken to lay an egg, but chickens come from eggs," it said, leaving us dancing with Alice again.

Then our attention was grabbed with this comment: "This is a riddle we can unscramble with the tools of science - more specifically, the principles of evolutionary biology."

We do like evolutionary biology, especially how it highlights that humans evolved through co-operation - not just competition.

That's being shown now as scientists, governments and philanthropists across the world work together on a vaccine for COVID-19.

Co-operation is vital. People tend to forget that in the individualistic, self-absorbed world we often slip into.

We came across this quote, which gives food for thought: "The most ruthless competitors ruin their environment and themselves".

But time is getting away from us. We better "get cracking" on this chicken and egg concept.

"The very first chicken in existence would have been the result of a genetic mutation or mutations taking place in a zygote produced by two almost-chickens (or proto-chickens)," the Australian Academy of Science explanation said.

"This means two proto-chickens mated, combining their DNA together to form the very first cell of the very first chicken. Somewhere along the line, genetic mutations occurred in that very first cell, and those mutations copied themselves into every other body cell as the chicken embryo grew. The result? The first true chicken."

The explanation added that DNA analysis and mathematical simulations suggest that the domestic chicken diverged from junglefowl an estimated 58,000 years ago.

So the egg came first. Right?

This from Ellalong's Sally Butler.

Text to brother Pete: "Can we get CovidSafe to play a tune when we're within 1.5 metres? I'm thinking David Bowie: 'I'm appy. Ope you're appy too-oo-oo'."

Pete's reply: "I prefer the Police: Don't stand, don't stand, don't stand so close to me."

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