Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution

Great overview of Understood life upgrades

Nick Lane has done a great job explaining the current mainstream scientific consensus view of how life has improved itself over the eons. He has chosen topics from how life could have started in the first place, multi-cellular life, to hot blooded-ness and consciousness. I consider myself to have a passing knowledge of most scientific knowledge but I found myself learning a great deal and found it fascinating. Recommended if you love science and biology.