Running Head: WHICH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? Misinformation Assignment Anna McVey Azusa Pacific University May 2, 2013

Running Head: WHICH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? Abstract

Do you still wonder what came first, the chicken or the egg? This is a question that I have always wondered about until now. It seems like whenever this question is asked, no one can really provide the answer with complete certainty. It is one of those questions that is difficult to answer because without one you cant have the other. How do we know which one really came first? I decided to do a little bit of my own research to see if I could find the correct answer. I found this incredible web site that presents evidence found by two scientists. In my report I will present textual evidence and research that proves the egg came first!

Running Head: WHICH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? The question of which came first, the chicken or the egg still crosses my mind every so often. It has been asked for years and even though many have answered it, it is still a cause for discussion. There are various theories and opinions on this matter. Even though many people have provided an answer to this question, I had never found textual evidence that provided specific proof to support the answer that the egg came first until I read the history behind the Ova Prima Foundation. The Ova Prima Foundation is an educational web site as well as a campus for educators and researchers interested in learning more about the chicken and the egg mystery. It tells the history behind its mission which provides the evidence that the egg came first. In September of

1864 two scientists who were naturalists and archeologist began their expedition and research in South America. Their names were Craigorn Shippen and Edmund Willard. They explored the region called the Illampi badlands. This region of rocky hills is located east of the Andes. Ova Prima Foundations (2000) research found that: It was Shippen who uncovered the nest of eggs that came to be known as the Illampi Clutch. This astounding specimen offered evidence that that the Protoarchaeopetry modesta colony was undergoing a genetic mutation. Two of the eggs displayed some unusual characteristics including the only known instance of a furcula or fused clavicle in a theropod. Additionally, all five of these exquisitely preserved fossils revealed the unmistakable traces of feathers spreading out from the forearms and tail.

Running Head: WHICH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

Although it was evident that the two scientists had stumbled on an amazing discovery, they had opposing theories. While Shippen thought that the Illampi Clutch proved that the egg came first, Willard believed that it was the home to several different species of theropods and he explained away the odd eggs in the Illampi Clutch as an instance of brood parasitism (Ova Prima Foundation, 2000). Tension was growing between the two scientists when they decided to return home. This is when it is thought that Willard took possession of the Illampi Clutch without Shippens knowledge so that he could present the evidence first while disproving Shippens ideas. When Shippen tried to present his theory, he was jeered by his peers. According to the Ova Prima Foundation (2000), Shippen's arguments were greatly weakened by his inability to produce the Illampi Clutch. Shippen didnt have the evidence within his own specimens and Willard denied all knowledge of it. What Shippen considered to be the most remarkable archaeological find of the century had vanished from sight (Ova Prima Foundation, 2000). Because of this, Shippen resigned from the Royal Geographic Society and withdrew himself from the public eye. This is why the mystery of the egg was never solved. However, many years later, Shippens son founded the Ova Prima Foundation in 1887 and the restoration of ovaprimatology began. Thanks to the Ova Prima Foundation the mystery of which came first, the chicken or the egg has been solved!

Running Head: WHICH CAME FIRST THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? References The Ova Prima Foundation, (2000). The Shippen-Willard Expedition. Retrieved from http://ovaprima.org