• dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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    14 hours ago

    Here is what I found:

    • The shell must be strong enough to support the egg’s weight and protect the embryo, but thin enough for the chick to break through when hatching.
    • As size increases, the weight grows cubically (volume), but shell strength only increases quadratically (surface area), so there’s a point where the shell would have to be too thick to hatch from.
    • The distance from the shell to the center increases.
    • Oxygen diffusion becomes inefficient, and the embryo could suffocate.
    • Larger eggs are harder to keep at a uniform temperature.
    • Birds incubating the eggs would need to generate and distribute more heat, which is physically demanding.