Just outside Paris, France, inside a high-tech vault requiring three independently controlled keys rests a small metallic cylinder about the diameter of a golf ball. Encased within three vacuum-sealed bell jars, it may not look like much, but it is one of the most important objects on the planet. It affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from the moment we are born to the food we eat, the cars we drive, and even the medicines we take. Follow the high-stakes race to redefine the weight of the world and reveal the untold story of one of the most important objects on the planet.  

Just outside Paris, France, inside a high-tech vault requiring three independently controlled keys rests a small metallic cylinder about the diameter of a golf ball. Encased within three vacuum-sealed bell jars, it may not look like much, but it is one of the most important objects on the planet. It affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from the moment we are born to the food we eat, the cars we drive, and even the medicines we take. Follow the high-stakes race to redefine the weight of the world and reveal the untold story of one of the most important objects on the planet.