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 energy to keep our hearts pumping and our brains alive. This film reveals the story of how we came to understand what air is made of. It began as a simple desire to further our knowledge of the natural world during the Age of Enlightenment, but it ended up uncovering raw materials that have shaped our modern world, unraveling the secrets of our own physiology, and revealing why we are here at all. The story also raises questions about the nature of discovery itself.

Originally released by BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2014. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on May 15, 2015.

Understanding the Atmosphere --(2:14) -- Age of Enlightenment -- (3:15) -- Discovering Carbon Dioxide -- (3:50) -- Discovering Nitrogen -- (2:44) -- Phlogiston Theory -- (3:10) -- Brewery Discovery -- (4:02) -- Isolating Oxygen -- (3:15) -- Oxygen Discovery Controversy -- (2:39) -- Antoine Lavoisier -- (2:53) -- Lead Measuring Experiment -- (2:12) -- Naming Oxygen -- (2:11) -- Air Discoveries -- (2:01) -- Calorimeter Experiment -- (3:43) -- Chemistry of Life -- (2:51) -- Atomic Theory -- (2:47) -- Elixir of Life -- (2:49) -- Slow Killer -- (2:46) -- Credits: Every Breath We Take: Understanding Our Atmosphere -- (0:44).