The key to a successful egg drop experiment? Drop it on its side.

Egg drop competitions are popular in schools and colleges as a way to teach physics, but most eggs break during the fall. MIT professor Tal Cohen’s research challenges conventional wisdom by showing that tilting the egg horizontally can reduce breakage. Additionally, the egg’s structure—made of calcite crystals surrounded by proteins and collagen—explains its strength and fragility, much like natural shells. This knowledge could help in designing safer packaging for fragile objects.