One of the oldest evolution riddles, which has also become popular with ordinary people, is the question: Which came first, the egg or the chicken?

The answer to this was finally found by scientists from the University of Bristol. They proposed a hypothesis that the ancient ancestors of modern birds and reptiles first gave birth to live young and only later moved on to lay eggs.

Thus, they initially confirmed that it was indeed a chicken.

Professor Michael Benton of the University of Bristol noted that the results of this study and other studies in recent years cast doubt on the classic “reptile egg” model.

To protect their young, the first amniotes developed a mechanism to keep the embryo inside the mother’s body, rather than laying hard-shelled eggs.