German students to hatch egg on TV

Three German students are to try to hatch an egg quicker than a chicken in a TV challenge. Nicole Hackbart, 25, Tina Pioszczyk, 26 and Alexander Wenta, 27, are to nurture the egg 24 hours a day. They will take turns at eight hours shifts for an estimated three weeks on the Galilieo show on channel ProSieben.

They will keep the egg in a special hatching bag that helps keep the constant temperature and humidity levels needed for the embryo to survive. The students, who must carefully rotate the egg three times a day, are competing with a hen that has successfully hatched over 270 eggs.

Psychologist Werner Katzengruber, who is overseeing the project, said he expected the human participants to form a bond with the egg. "I'm sure they will become attached to the egg and will be overjoyed if a chick hatches, but at the same time they could blame each other if something goes wrong," he said. "I doubt they'll be eating many eggs for breakfast after the experiment."