You can only survive a few weeks without food and just a few days without water. But without air, you'd be lucky to last a few minutes.
The link between life and breath has always been clear, but it took modern science to reveal the mechanics at the cellular level. Our cells are nourished by food and water but they need oxygen to break them down. Cells also excrete another gas, carbon dioxide, as waste. The body’s circulation of these gases is called respiration. If respiration is compromised, cells get weak, sluggish, and die prematurely.
