The antioxidant hypothesis proposes that the blue‐green pigment found in many birds’ eggs provides a direct benefit to the developing embryo through its antioxidant‐like properties. Such protection is feasible if the pigment transfers to the eggshell membrane or inside the egg. This newly proposed hypothesis provides a range of intriguing possibilities for future tests.

中文翻译：

---

蛋壳衍生的胆绿素作为鸟蛋的抗氧化防御系统。

抗氧化假说认为，在许多鸟蛋中发现的蓝绿色色素通过其类似抗氧化的特性为发育中的胚胎提供了直接的益处。如果色素转移到蛋壳膜或鸡蛋内部，这种保护是可行的。这个新提出的假设为未来的测试提供了一系列有趣的可能性。