150 years of helium

By James Mitchell Crow2018-07-23T09:41:00

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry / Shutterstock

Humanity took a long time to notice the second most common chemical element in the universe, James Mitchell Crow notes. Today we would struggle to do without it

Helium was first discovered in the sun, but has since proved itself extremely useful as a cryogen, among other uses. It’s even helping us learn about planets far beyond our own solar system. But is it running out?