Abstract: The evolution of galaxies is closely connected to the gas environment in which galaxies reside. Traditionally, this tenuous gas that cycles in and out of galaxies has been studied primarily in absorption using quasar spectroscopy. The deployment of large integral field spectrographs at 8 meter telescopes, and in particular MUSE at VLT, is now transforming our view of the interplay between the ambient gas and galaxies by enabling spectroscopy in emission at very low surface brightness. In this talk, I will present highlights from multiple large programmes that are starting to shed light onto the link between gas and galaxies as a function of cosmic time.