On a recent afternoon around the lunch counter, my colleagues and I were discussing the attributes of the chicken egg when someone asked, “Which end of the egg comes out first, the round end or the pointed end?” Of course we all took a position, and while wagering of serious money did not take place, our reputations are on the line. I naturally thought of you to answer this question. –Mark Olson, Las Vegas, Nevada
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This is what comes of too many hours playing the nickel slots. According to Cornell University professor Kavous Keshavarz, poultry czar on the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, the egg initially moves through the chicken’s oviduct small end first. When it reaches the uterus, however, it hardens (that is, the shell calcifies), rotates 180 degrees, and makes the rest of the trip big end first. This may sound like doing it the hard way, but actually it’s the most efficient way to push the egg. When the muscles of the chicken’s uterine and vaginal walls squeeze the egg’s small (i.e., back) end, it squirts forward and out into the cold, cruel world.
Well, at least now we know all the nuts aren’t in Texas.
Cecil could have sworn he had a file in his vast database saying you had to be invited to join the Masons, but he can’t find it. No matter. I’m happy to set the record straight. Inasmuch as noted Mason Bob Dole might be president someday, this is one crowd you do not want to tick off.
