* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Jussie Smollett Claims He Was ‘Disrespected’ on the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere – Yahoo

    Jussie Smollett Opens Up About Feeling ‘Disrespected’ During the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere

    TicketSmarter Fall Entertainment Guide – Eastern Illinois University Athletics

    TicketSmarter Fall Entertainment Guide – Eastern Illinois University Athletics

    Cardi B Adds More Dates to Little Miss Drama Tour: ‘Y’all Making Me Work’ – Yahoo

    Cardi B Extends Little Miss Drama Tour: “Y’all Making Me Work

    ‘Today’: Sheinelle Jones Thanks Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Death – CBS 19 News

    Sheinelle Jones Expresses Heartfelt Thanks to Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Passing

    Sate your hunger at DBA’s Taste of Downtown – Bakersfield.com

    Indulge Your Cravings at DBA’s Taste of Downtown!

    Caesars Entertainment (CZR): Assessing Valuation After Times Square Casino Setback and Mounting Investor Concerns – simplywall.st

    Caesars Entertainment Faces Times Square Casino Hurdles as Investor Concerns Mount

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    From shale to steam: Fossil fuel technology boosts clean geothermal energy – Washington Examiner

    From Shale to Steam: How Fossil Fuel Technology is Powering a Clean Geothermal Energy Revolution

    How Sustainable Technology is Shaping a Greener Future – Technology Magazine

    How Sustainable Technology is Driving the Revolution Toward a Greener Future

    Aurora police hope to add facial recognition technology to crime-fighting tools – CBS News

    Aurora Police Aim to Boost Crime-Fighting with New Facial Recognition Technology

    Autonomous Solutions shows off cutting-edge technology for the public – Cache Valley Daily

    Autonomous Solutions Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology for the Public

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    What are we really gaining from technology? – Fast Company

    What Are We Really Gaining from Technology?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Jussie Smollett Claims He Was ‘Disrespected’ on the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere – Yahoo

    Jussie Smollett Opens Up About Feeling ‘Disrespected’ During the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere

    TicketSmarter Fall Entertainment Guide – Eastern Illinois University Athletics

    TicketSmarter Fall Entertainment Guide – Eastern Illinois University Athletics

    Cardi B Adds More Dates to Little Miss Drama Tour: ‘Y’all Making Me Work’ – Yahoo

    Cardi B Extends Little Miss Drama Tour: “Y’all Making Me Work

    ‘Today’: Sheinelle Jones Thanks Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Death – CBS 19 News

    Sheinelle Jones Expresses Heartfelt Thanks to Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Passing

    Sate your hunger at DBA’s Taste of Downtown – Bakersfield.com

    Indulge Your Cravings at DBA’s Taste of Downtown!

    Caesars Entertainment (CZR): Assessing Valuation After Times Square Casino Setback and Mounting Investor Concerns – simplywall.st

    Caesars Entertainment Faces Times Square Casino Hurdles as Investor Concerns Mount

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    From shale to steam: Fossil fuel technology boosts clean geothermal energy – Washington Examiner

    From Shale to Steam: How Fossil Fuel Technology is Powering a Clean Geothermal Energy Revolution

    How Sustainable Technology is Shaping a Greener Future – Technology Magazine

    How Sustainable Technology is Driving the Revolution Toward a Greener Future

    Aurora police hope to add facial recognition technology to crime-fighting tools – CBS News

    Aurora Police Aim to Boost Crime-Fighting with New Facial Recognition Technology

    Autonomous Solutions shows off cutting-edge technology for the public – Cache Valley Daily

    Autonomous Solutions Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology for the Public

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    What are we really gaining from technology? – Fast Company

    What Are We Really Gaining from Technology?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

A Helium Shortage! What If We Ran Out of Helium?

October 19, 2023
in Science
A Helium Shortage! What If We Ran Out of Helium?
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Five colorful balloons in a row against blue sky at the beach

If we ran out of helium, it wouldn’t exactly be a day at the beach the_burtons / Getty Images

Helium isn’t just the stuff they put in balloons that makes your voice sound funny when you inhale it. This gas is also used in a wide variety of settings, from medical research technology and nuclear reactors to the blimps that fly over football stadiums on Sunday afternoons in the fall.

Although it’s one of the most common elements in the universe, helium is relatively scarce here on planet Earth, and there aren’t many places where helium production is a viable option. That’s created fears about what will happen if we run out. Learn more about the ongoing helium shortage.

Helium Origins

Helium is so rare on Earth that a French researcher first discovered its existence by studying the sun. The naturally occurring gas makes up only about 0.0005 percent of our planet’s atmosphere.

It’s found largely in natural gas deposits, including those in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as in Russia and India. U.S. deposits account for more than 80 percent of the world’s helium supply [sources: Jefferson Lab, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Boyle].

Helium’s Unique Properties

What makes the stuff so special? For one thing, it stays cold. Helium has the lowest boiling point of any element and is the only one that can’t be solidified by lowering the temperature. This makes it a great cooling source, one that’s often used in cryogenic research.

Liquid helium comes in handy in reducing temperatures for superconducting magnets like those used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines. Helium demand also applies to other technologies, such as LCD screens and other fiber optics, quantum computers and rocket fuel tanks [sources: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Boyle, Strusiewicz].

Helium Reserve

The trouble is that helium is a finite element. The world only has so much of the gas, and our planet’s supply appears to be running low.

In 1925, the feds established a national helium reserve in Amarillo, Texas. The idea was to stockpile helium for use in blimps as part of the war effort. Seven decades later, the government decided to get out of the helium business. Then-President Bill Clinton signed a law requiring the government to sell off its helium supply by 2015 [sources: Boyle, Feinberg].

The move was intended to allow the private helium market to sort out the element’s value as well as when and where it should be used.

Instead, it led to a fire sale of sorts in which the gas remained incredibly cheap, given how rare it is. A new law granting more time to get rid of the stuff was passed shortly before the deadline, and the U.S. General Services Administration is set to auction off 1 billion cubic feet of crude helium on November 2023 [source: GSA].

A Global Helium Shortage?

In the meantime, it’s believed that the planet’s total helium supply is running dry. If our supply ran out, it could spell the end of MRI testing, LCD screens and birthday party balloons. Or it could make all of those things much more expensive.

Although argon — another inert gas — can be substituted for helium for welding purposes, no other element can do what helium can do in super cold applications. That means we’d probably have to go looking for helium in the atmosphere. Experts say that would raise the price of helium by about 10,000 times [sources: Minerals Education Coalition, Boyle, Strusiewicz].

Russia is one of the world’s largest helium suppliers. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, halting trade, the helium industry began rationing the nonrenewable element. In response, some scientists have halted experiments involving liquid helium in order to save helium for MRI machines in hospitals [source: Hopkins].

Lots More Information

Related Articles

Sources

Boyle, Rebecca. “In the Future, This Balloon Will Cost $100.” Popular Science. Aug. 20, 2010. (May 17, 2015) http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/future-these-will-cost-100-each”Federal Helium System at Cliffside.” U.S. General Services Administration. (Oct. 9, 2023). https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/real-estate-services/real-property-disposition/property-sales/federal-helium-system-at-cliffsideFeinberg, Ashley. “7 Things You Had No Idea the World is Running Out Of.” Gizmodo. Nov. 27, 2011. (May 17, 2015) http://gizmodo.com/7-things-you-had-no-idea-the-world-is-running-out-of-1467868161Hopkins, Caroline. “The world is running out of helium. Here’s why doctors are worried.” NBC News. Oct. 22, 2022. (Oct. 9, 2023). https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/helium-shortage-doctors-are-worried-running-element-threaten-mris-rcna52978Jefferson Lab. “The Element Helium.” (May 17, 2015) http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele002.htmlLevin, Matt. “Helium’s been rising — in price — and it’s bringing businesses down.” Marketplace. Jan. 19, 2023. (Oct. 9, 2023). https://www.marketplace.org/2023/01/19/heliums-been-rising-in-price-and-its-bringing-businesses-down/Los Alamos National Laboratory. “Helium.” (May 17, 2015) http://periodic.lanl.gov/2.shtmlMinerals Education Coalition. “Helium.” (May 17, 2015) https://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals/heliumPflum, Mary. “The fate of America’s largest supply of helium is up in the air.” NBC News. Feb. 7, 2023. (Oct. 9, 2023).Siliezar, Juan. “Global helium shortage slams brakes at Harvard labs.” The Harvard Gazette. Jun. 13, 2022. (Oct. 9, 2023). https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/06/helium-shortage-4-0-makes-its-way-to-harvard/Strusiewicz, Cezary. “6 important Things You Didn’t Know We’re Running Out Of.” Cracked.com. Feb. 28, 2011. (May 17, 2015) http://www.cracked.com/article_19048_6-important-things-you-didnt-know-were-running-out-of.html

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : How To Stuff – https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-we-ran-out-helium.htm

Tags: Heliumscienceshortage
Previous Post

What Did Isaac Newton Discover? 10 of Sir Isaac Newton’s Inventions

Next Post

How Winemaking Works

Poland bounce back with first ever World Championship bronze – Volleyball World

Poland Makes History with First Ever World Championship Bronze Medal in Volleyball

September 28, 2025

Russian Economy Struggles Under Growing Strain of Ukraine Conflict

September 28, 2025
Jussie Smollett Claims He Was ‘Disrespected’ on the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere – Yahoo

Jussie Smollett Opens Up About Feeling ‘Disrespected’ During the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere

September 28, 2025
Tom Holland shares health update after suffering concussion on ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ set – New York Post

Tom Holland Opens Up About His Recovery After Concussion on ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Set

September 28, 2025
Politics are destroying our public schools. It doesn’t have to be that way | Opinion – Pensacola News Journal

How Politics Are Undermining Our Public Schools-and What We Can Do About It

September 28, 2025
Featured in Functional Ecology – besjournals

Discover the Latest Breakthroughs in Functional Ecology

September 28, 2025
Scientists Identify Simple and Effective Way To Reduce Calorie Intake Without Trying – SciTechDaily

Scientists Identify Simple and Effective Way To Reduce Calorie Intake Without Trying – SciTechDaily

September 28, 2025
Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, say scientists – BBC

Ancient Skull Discovery Upends Our Understanding of Human Evolution

September 28, 2025
Corgi Can’t Stop Slipping & TikTok Can’t Stop Laughing – Yahoo

Corgi’s Hilarious Slips Have Everyone Laughing Out Loud

September 28, 2025
From shale to steam: Fossil fuel technology boosts clean geothermal energy – Washington Examiner

From Shale to Steam: How Fossil Fuel Technology is Powering a Clean Geothermal Energy Revolution

September 28, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (841)
  • Economy (862)
  • Entertainment (21,736)
  • General (17,292)
  • Health (9,905)
  • Lifestyle (874)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (863)
  • Politics (872)
  • Science (16,071)
  • Sports (21,361)
  • Technology (15,844)
  • World (844)

Recent News

Poland bounce back with first ever World Championship bronze – Volleyball World

Poland Makes History with First Ever World Championship Bronze Medal in Volleyball

September 28, 2025

Russian Economy Struggles Under Growing Strain of Ukraine Conflict

September 28, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version