Every breath we take. Understanding our atmosphere

Your Playlist:

Description

The air around us is not just empty space; it is an integral part of the chemistry of life. Plants are made from carbon dioxide, nitrogen nourishes the soil and oxygen gives us the energy we need to keep our hearts pumping and our brains alive. This remarkable film reveals that how we came to realise this simple concept is a story that spans the entire history of science. It involves some of the most advanced technology of our modern age, but begins in a pre-scientific era when discoveries were made by ordinary people equipped with nothing more elaborate than human curiosity. The story raises some fascinating questions about the nature of discovery itself. Are all discoveries progress? Is a discovery still a discovery if you donâ€™t know what it is that youâ€™ve found? The quest to understand the air around us began as a simple desire to further our knowledge of the natural world, but ended up revealing the secrets of life itself, because the air we breathe has shaped the course of our evolution.