Podcast Summary: Everything Everywhere Daily

Episode: Helium

Host: Gary Arndt
Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Gary Arndt dives into the scientific, historical, and technological marvels of helium. From its cosmic origins and peculiar properties to its discovery (first in the Sun, not on Earth!), to its indispensable roles in medicine, industry, and advanced technologies, Gary explains why this inert gas—especially its rare isotope helium-3—might become one of the most valuable substances for humanity’s future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Helium?

• Basic Properties
  • Second-lightest and second-most abundant element in the universe.
  • An inert noble gas: does not form molecules or react easily with other elements.
  • Has the lowest boiling point of any element—remains liquid at extremely low temperatures and only becomes solid under high pressure near absolute zero.
• Notable Phenomenon: Superfluidity
  • “Helium exists in a bizarre quantum state known as superfluidity, allowing it to flow without friction, climb walls, and escape containers through microscopic gaps.” (04:56)

2. Helium’s Isotopes

• Helium-4 (He-4)
  • Makes up 99.99998% of helium on Earth.
• Helium-3 (He-3)
  • Extremely rare (only 0.0002% of terrestrial helium).
  • Critically important in quantum computing and nuclear fusion.
• “Outside of exotic particles like antimatter… Helium-3 is the most valuable elemental substance on Earth. A kilogram of it can sell for as much as $20 million.” (14:39)

3. Origins & Cosmic Abundance

• Created by fusion of hydrogen in stars, making it the second-most abundant element (24% of all elemental mass in the universe).
• Despite its abundance in the cosmos, helium is rare on Earth due to its tendency to escape Earth's gravity.

4. Discovery Story

• Solar Discovery
  • First identified during the solar eclipse of 1868 by two astronomers: Pierre Janssen (France) and Norman Lockyer (UK).
  • Observed as a mysterious yellow spectral line in the Sun’s light, unmatching any known Earth element.
  • Name derived from “Helios,” the Greek word for sun.
• Earthly Confirmation
  • 1895: Sir William Ramsay isolates helium from the uranium mineral clevite.
  • Independently confirmed by Swedish chemists Per Clave and Nils Langlett.

5. How Helium Accumulates on Earth

• Mostly produced underground by radioactive decay (alpha decay) of uranium and thorium, forming pockets of natural gas in which helium can be extracted.

6. Industrial & Strategic Uses of Helium

• Cryogenics
  • “Liquid helium’s ultra low temperature is essential for cooling superconducting magnets. This makes it indispensable for MRI machines, many types of particle accelerators, magnetic resonance research, and some quantum computing systems.” (09:03)
• Materials Science & Manufacturing
  • Shielding gas in welding, semiconductor manufacturing, fiber optics production.
• Aerospace & Rocketry
  • Pressurization, purging, and stabilizing fuel tanks and lines; used since the earliest space programs.
• Deep-Sea Diving
  • In mixtures like Heliox to avoid nitrogen narcosis.
• Leak Detection & Medical Use
  • Utilized for its ability to detect leaks due to its small atoms and for respiratory therapies due to low density.

7. Popular and Fun Uses

• Balloons and blimps—safer alternative to hydrogen.
• Alters voice pitch when inhaled due to change in the speed of sound through the vocal tract.
  • “People speak in a high pitched voice after inhaling helium because the gas dramatically changes how sound travels through the vocal tract.” (11:17)
  • Warning: Helium is not toxic but can displace oxygen if inhaled in excess.

8. Helium Shortages & The Strategic Helium Reserve

• Helium is finite—most global supplies are distilled from a few natural gas fields.
• Shortages increasingly common due to:
  • Limited sources
  • Industrial demand spikes (e.g., semiconductors, medical imaging)
  • Infrastructure bottlenecks and geopolitical factors
  • “The global market has experienced repeated helium crises over the last two decades, leading to price spikes and shortages that hit hospitals and research labs the hardest.” (13:08)
• US Strategic Helium Reserve: Established in 1925 (initially for military airships), eventually the world’s largest stockpile.
  • 1996 Helium Privatization Act led to gradual depletion and market instability.

9. Helium-3: The Future and Lunar Mining

• Helium-3 in Quantum Computing and Fusion
  • Enables dilution refrigerators for millikelvin temperatures (quantum tech).
  • Fusion with deuterium could provide cleaner, more efficient power.
  • “Helium-3 fusion reactor could create power with far less radioactive damage and simpler shielding … and the possibility of directly converting particle energy into electricity.” (13:50)
• Scarcity & Lunar Prospects
  • “There just isn’t enough [on Earth]. Nor can we make any.” (15:04)
  • Moon’s surface regolith has accumulated helium-3 from the solar wind over billions of years.
  • Lunar mining would mean strip-mining and processing enormous amounts of lunar soil to isolate the isotope.
  • “At $20 million per kilogram, helium-3 mining might make a lunar base cost effective.” (16:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Discovery:
  “The story of helium’s discovery is one of the strangest in the history of chemistry because it was first found not on Earth but in the Sun.” (05:20)

• On Its Future Value:
  “It’s entirely possible that helium will become even more important in the future as new technologies exploit the properties of the helium-3 isotope.” (16:56)

• On Helium-3’s Rarity:
  “Helium-3 is the most valuable elemental substance on Earth. A kilogram of it can sell for as much as $20 million.” (14:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|:-------------:| | Introduction to Helium & Its Properties | 00:00 - 04:54 | | Cosmic Origins & Isotopes | 04:54 - 06:00 | | Discovery in the Sun | 06:09 - 08:29 | | Earthly Detection & Extraction | 08:31 - 09:40 | | Unique Industrial & Medical Applications | 09:41 - 13:07 | | Helium Crisis and Reserve | 13:08 - 14:36 | | Helium-3 and the Future | 14:37 - 16:46 | | Lunar Mining and Closing Thoughts | 16:46 - 17:09 |

Final Thoughts

Gary concludes that while most know helium for balloons and blimps, its true importance lies in its unique physical properties and strategic significance. The rarity and potential of helium-3—especially for quantum technologies and fusion—may soon make this humble gas “worth more than gold,” and lunar mining could become a reality as our technological ambitions grow.

Recommended for anyone curious about how a small, colorless, non-reactive gas could play a big role in shaping humanity’s future.