15 votes

We Discovered Helium 150 Years Ago. Are We Running Out?

Tags: chemistry

2 comments

  1. teaearlgraycold
    Link
    I had no idea it was already this bad. Obviously this would increase operating costs, but this seems like the best solution we have right now. I wonder if a world with working fusion reactors...

    In the last decade, the price of helium has gone up more than 250 percent, dealing a blow to some research budgets. In a 2016 report assembled by three scientific societies, some researchers described forfeiting their summer salaries just so they could afford the helium to do their experiments.

    I had no idea it was already this bad.

    The National Science Foundation, for instance, is running a small-scale program to outfit labs with systems that recycle and re-liquify helium.

    Obviously this would increase operating costs, but this seems like the best solution we have right now. I wonder if a world with working fusion reactors could produce enough helium to lower its cost.

    4 votes
  2. jlpoole
    Link
    I look forward to learning why in the heck would the U.S. not be an active stakeholder in helium reserves?

    I look forward to learning why in the heck would the U.S. not be an active stakeholder in helium reserves?

    2 votes