Why helium prices are flying high!

Helium has many different uses, but the party balloons are still our favorite ‪@CBSUnstoppable‬

[@spacerunner357]

That's amazing to know that there is still a lot more helium left actually!

[@jeffbenton6183]

At *present* usage rates, the *current* supply will run out in 130 years, so it isn't an issue - the market will take care of it. Selling off the helium reserve was still an incredibly bone-headed decision, though (for exactly the reasons mentioned).

[@DanNowlan]

Using something so medically and scientifically precious for something as inconsequential as a party balloon is a travesty!

[@romanski5811]

Don't worry. Market forces will make it very expensive again and then only those who can afford it will be able to get MRI scans.

[@lc1138]

​@@romanski5811oh oops

[@Kittymittie]

Well, I heard that the helium used in a balloon is waayyyy different in quality than the ones used in medical equipment! So, the helium in medical equipment has to be high quality, and we'd have no use for the low quality helium... Might as well use it in balloons 🤣🤣

[@EmmaDilemma039]

​@@romanski5811don't worry, the market will save us!

[@OttoKreml]

Food is important too. Why do we waste it on pets? Electricity is needed for almost every function, so why do we waste it on watching KZbin videos? Why do we waste gold on wedding rings when it could be used for electronics? Just think about the implications of if we actually did these things. I don't want to live in a commie bloc being able to only buy 5 foods at the grocery store.

[@garg4531]

Fascinating history lesson!

[@veronica21]

Very interesting 🤔🧐

[@faaaailure]

Man I remember being young and feeling bad everytime I saw an helium filled baloon because I thought we were just wasting a rare resource on unimportant things 😭

[@cooltwinkies2090]

I thought you would have to go to mars to get helium so I though that stuff was priceless😭

[@lc1138]

Thank you ! I didn't know where Helium came from nor what it happened of it.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Bring back the airships!

[@vervalkon]

Yea I mean Helium isn't even flammable, that was Hydrogen.

[@cdredstone]

It’ll inflate until fusion reactors take off. Helium is a byproduct of fusion reactors, so there might be an abundance…

[@jeffbenton6183]

Problem is, fusion reactors *need* liquid helium as a coolant. Currently, about 3x as much helium is used up in fusion reactors as is generated. I suppose there are improvements to be made, but it'll be tricky at bwst

[@skilltreegames]

Just use vodka.... (there was a russian aircraft that used vodka as coolant, and all the pilots would get drunk bc of it) ​@jeffbenton6183

[@jeffbenton6183]

@@skilltreegames Ah yes, I've heard of that. By the way, do you watch Paper Skies, by any chance? In any case, it probably wouldn't work. The reason why they use liquid helium is because it's the coldest cryogenic liquid possible according to the known laws of physics. 4 Kelvins; even liquid nitrogen won't do (although I suppose there might be a way; I'm not a nuclear engineer). Anti-freeze or alcohol is a little too warm.

[@TM-45.]

Even the second most simplest element in the universe as its prices inflating in this economy...

[@Comeoniwantaccount]

yay, helium!

[@SacsachCCABP]

*reinvents the zeppelin* heres your balloon

[@jeffbenton6183]

Weird. I was just reading about this yesterday, this video came out the day before that without me noticing and now its in my recommended feed today

[@lc1138]

You can call it good algorithm. And luck, also. But still good algorithm.

[@faaaailure]

Google Baader-Meinhof phenomenon

[@MarvinElsen]

How does it float away though? Even if it's the lightest element, gravity still should make it stay unless there is a stronger force acting upon it (like the gravity of another body), no?

[@KyubiBubi]

Bouyancy. The helium gets pushed up because the other molecules around the helium want to go down (due to gravity) and are heavier, thus exert more force. Helium just gets bullied, basically

[@MarvinElsen]

@@KyubiBubiThanks for the reply. I understand it this far, but why doesn't the helium just... stay/float on top? Or is that what's being talked about when it is said that the helium "is gone"? 😅

[@KyubiBubi]

@@MarvinElsen The helium will leave the atmosphere entirely (escaping to outer space) due to stuff like Jeans escape. Helium atoms will collide which can cause a transfer in velocity that might add up so high that a molecule reaches edcape velocity and flies off into outer space.

[@MarvinElsen]

@@KyubiBubi Ahhh, I see now I get it! Thanks for taking the time 🙏

[@einplaysbad]

So was Gnarly lying??

[@TalooshDaBoss]

Bring airships back

[@Aelfraed26]

Miranda Cosgrove?

[@romanski5811]

Yes, this video was first published on the KZbin channel "Mission Unstoppable" which is also a show on CBS hosted by Miranda Cosgrow. Their channel regularly puts out these shorts a few weeks in advance and is about science/stem.

[@thurbine2411]

Why are you using burning airships for them falling out of favour and in the context of helium?

[@mahinakhter8157]

….hydrogen airship exploded but why were they scared of helium airships exploding?

[@jeffbenton6183]

Read about the USS Akron. Airships had a ton of problems besides hydrogen fires. The things were accident-prone and couldn't do what airplanes could do. That said, the possibilities of hybrid airships are awesome, but there aren't many users who want them yet.

[@roidroid]

Someone who calls the shots @CBS must be invested in the helium market

[@wrefk]

Wait, so, they collected so much helium that their store lasted 100 years??

[@jeffbenton6183]

I was researching this the other day. They kept it stockpiled until the 70s or 80s when they decided to sell it off. It slowly deteriorated over the next several decades. Since they were under-cutting everyone else's prices, drillers stopped drilling, causing the stockpile to become the main source of helium. So in a way yes, but in a way no. They weren't using said stockpile for the entirety of those 100 years. At the largest extent it had 1 billion cubic meters of helium

[@PP-ss3zf]

"even next century"? that sounds like youre saying we gonna run out in 1000 years max !

[@Adam-el1ww]

Us NOO i don't wanna democracy

[@jeffbenton6183]

And that's why the Hinndenburg didn't have helium.

[@shinjiikari5174]

Daaang, who got that TikTok girl voice to work for minute earth? 💀💀💀