I know most of us have done this. I am talking about putting ballons on open houses signs so people can see them easier. Well did you know we are actually running out of helium? Thats right the second most abundant molecule in the universe is relatively scarce on earth. While we use it for baloon it has a much more serious use for all of us. In liquified state it is used to cool the super magnets of MRI machines. It also is an inert gas that can be used for numerous lab machines and tests.
Where does helium come from. Well if you are like me you thought it was in the air. WRONG, it is a natural radioactive decay that is in natural gas fields. Most of it comes from Texas. This site is expected to be depleted in the next twenty years. We all think about petroleum and other shortages. Well this one may just sneak up on us and bite us. There isn't another alternative.
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