From the first microscopic forms of life to the evolution of the first animals crawling and swimming in the oceans; from feathered dinosaurs to whales with legs; from the first flower to the first humans, this volume takes readers on a journey through time to show that these myriad designs were produced not by intelligence, but by the wonder of evolution. The earth's long-playing fossil record, the book explains, is a testament to the evolution of life on this planet over the past 3.5 billion years. Paleontologists show how recent fossil discoveries, especially those in Australia, are revolutionizing our understanding of the patterns and processes of animal, plant, and microbial evolution.