There is a big Antarctic exhibition at the Natural History Museum. This includes the Emperor Penguin eggs that Wilson, ‘Birdie’ Bowers and Apsley Cherry-Garrard brought back at such cost from the Emperor colony at Cape Crozier.
The embryos were not found to prove the theory that Wilson was investigating: a link between birds and early reptiles. He was interested in penguin eggs because he thought that penguins were the most primitive of birds (now known to be untrue). When the eggs were examined years later no support for the suggestion was found
I do not think that Wilson would have minded this. Throughout his life his emphasis was on objective scientific research. He would carefully examine any theory before accepting or rejecting it. This expedition was his scientific investigation, he had hoped to examine a series of eggs at the colony. Had he lived to hear the verdict, no connection proved, he would have accepted this calmly as part of God’s plan
Isobel Williams – Author, Cruise Speaker and Lecturer 