Video summary
Professor Brian Cox shows the stages of the evolution of the eye, from a primitive light sensitive spot, to a complex mammalian eye.
Almost all animal life can see (96% of species have an eye), and at a molecular level, every eye in the world works in the same way. At the heart of all vision is a light sensitive pigment called rhodopsin.
This clip is from the series Wonders of Life.
Teacher Notes
As a follow-up activity, make a pinhole camera from black card then investigate how changing the aperture size and adding a lens improves the quality of the image.
Pupils could produce a flow chart showing the evolution of the eye in a series of small steps, from simple light sensitive cells in volvox, to the camera eye found in modern animals such as humans.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Biology at KS3 and KS4/GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and SQA National 3/4/5 in Scotland.
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