The Evolution of Vision

Did the eye evolve and, if so, how?  Creationists and evolutionary biologists have argued over this controversy since Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859.  About 830 million years ago, in the Cambrian period, an explosion of the number of species occurred, and the possession of vision was a major survival advantage.  Did these diverse eyes evolve separately many different times?  Recent genetic research on eyes in insects and mammals reveals that they are more closely related than suspected.

This is a part of Professor Ayliffe's 2012/2013 series of lectures as Gresham Professor of Physic.  The other lectures in this series include:
     The Aging Eye
     Vision and the Artist
     Animal Eyes
     Technology and Vision
     The Window on the Soul