Researchers say the chicken came before the egg in age-old riddle

The question has puzzled man for ages: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Scientists from universities in Sheffield and Warwick in England say they've discovered the answer -- it's the chicken!

According to CNN, the researchers published a paper called "Structural Control of Crystal Nuclei by an Eggshell Protein," which solved the mystery, or so they claim.

The paper explains the presence of a protein in the chicken's ovaries that is required for the formation of eggshells, a protein called ovocledidin-17.

This protein might seem to answer the question, but one of the paper's authors says he's still not sure.

"I would argue that the concept of an eggshell came about way before the chicken, it's dinosaur or even pre-dinosaur thing. That's something to talk to an evolutionary biologist about probably," said Colin Freeman, from the University of Sheffield in northern England.

In a New York Daily News article, another Sheffield University researcher says the discovery about eggshell proteins could have practical uses in science and medicine.

"Understanding how chickens make eggshells is fascinating in itself but can also give clues towards designing new materials and processes," said Sheffield's Professor John Harding. "Nature has found innovative solutions that work for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology. We can learn a lot from them."