Invisible Buoyancy: The Depletion of the US Strategic Helium Reserve

When most people think of helium, they picture colorful party balloons or squeaky voices. In reality, helium is one of the most critical, irreplaceable, and rapidly depleting non-renewable resources on the planet. Because it boasts the lowest boiling point of any element, it is the only substance capable of cooling the superconducting magnets in MRI machines and manufacturing quantum computing chips. Without helium, modern medicine and advanced technology would instantly grind to a halt.

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