The Eggcellent Egg        

   Next time you crack an egg, show it a little more respect.

    Researchers at McGill Univ. in Montreal have discovered how "remarkably designed" is the chicken egg. They note, "Eggshells are difficult to study because they easily break when we try to make a thin slice for imaging." 

   They call the egg an "almost perfect chamber" that contains all the nutrients a chick requires. 

   An eggshell needs strength during incubation, yet it becomes soft enough for the chick to peck through. In the study, reported in Science Advances, researchers found that eggshells contain three different layers which change during incubation. 

   The shell is hardest when the hen first lays the egg. Later, calcium in the inner layer begins to dissolve, making the mineral available to form bones in the chick. This also weakens the shell.

   Imitating the way God designed the eggshell, researchers found they could produce a similar nanostructure by adding a protein to mineral crystals. They hope that engineers will "design new, synthetic nanocomposite materials with novel properties." 

   Once again, evidence shows how God protects and provides for his creatures.

   Peep! Peep!

        Jimmy