Planet of the scum. The first fossils : Cryptozoon
Garden of Ediacara. The first multicellular life : Charnia
"Little shellies." The first shells : Cloudina
Oh, give me a home, when the trilobites roamed. The first large shelled animals : Olenellus
Is it a worm or an arthropod? The origin of arthropods : Hallucigenia
Is it a worm or a mollusc? The origin of molluscs : Pilina
Growing from the sea. The origin of land plants : Cooksonia
A fishy tale. The origin of vertebrates : Haikouichthys
Mega-jaws. The largest fish : Carcharocles
Fish out of water. The origin of amphibians : Tiktaalik
"Frogamander." The origin of frogs : Gerobatrachus
Turtle on the half-shell. The origin of turtles : Odontochelys
Walking serpents. The origin of snakes : Haasiophis
King of the fish-lizards. The largest marine reptile : Shonisaurus
Terror of the seas. The largest sea monster : Kronosaurus
Monster flesh-eater. The largest predator : Giganotosaurus
Land of the giants. The largest land animal : Argentinosaurus
A feather in stone. The first bird : Archaeopteryx
Not quite a mammal. The origin of mammals : Thrinaxodon
Walking into the water. The origin of whales : Ambulocetus
Walking manatees. The origin of sirenians : Pezosiren
Dawn horses. The origin of horses : Eohippus
Rhinoceros giants. The largest land mammal : Paraceratherium
The ape's reflection? The oldest human fossil : Sahelanthropus
Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The oldest human skeleton : Australopithecus afarensis
Appendix. The best natural history museums.