Helium

September 20th 2025

An illustration of Interlune's harvester on the moon

Moon Helium Deal Is the Biggest Space Resource Grab Yet

Quantum cryogenics manufacturer Bluefors is betting big on Interlune, a startup that aims to extract Helium-3 from the lunar surface by 2028.

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Sep 20

March 16th 2024

Former Blue Origin Employees Want to Harvest Helium-3 From the Moon

The company's founders, including an Apollo 17 astronaut, just rounded up $15 million to fund their venture.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Mar 16

February 14th 2024

Physicists Captured Images of Heat’s ‘Second Sound.’ What?

An experiment involving superfluids showcases some wild phenonmenon.

Physics & Chemistry Isaac Schultz Feb 14

July 26th 2023

Image: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgment: J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin), M. Mountain (STScI) and P. Puxley (National Science Foundation)

Measuring Helium in Distant Galaxies May Give Physicists Insight Into Why the Universe Exists

New helium measurements in distant galaxies could provide solutions to a long-standing cosmology problem, potentially explaining why the universe isn't empty.

Space & Spaceflight Anne-Katherine Burns, The Conversation Jul 26

February 23rd 2023

You Couldn’t Pay Me to Ride in the Cabin of This Japanese ‘Space Balloon’

A Japanese startup is trying to make space more accessible but its design for a stratospheric balloon flight looks more like an amusement park ride.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Feb 23

April 1st 2022

Image: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

Gas From the Big Bang May Be Trapped Inside Earth

Helium-3 is leaking from Earth, and it's an intriguing clue as to how our planet formed.

Earth Science Isaac Schultz Apr 1

December 11th 2021

This Dark Matter Radio Could Tune Into New Physics

Researchers are hoping to "hear" dark matter particles using a super-cooled experiment in California.

Physics & Chemistry Isaac Schultz Dec 11

November 24th 2021

The Helium in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Could Power Some Sweet Science

The element is used for cooling down particle colliders, cleaning out rocket tanks, and more.

Physics & Chemistry Isaac Schultz Nov 24

November 15th 2021

Harmless Sound Waves Propel This Indoor Camera Drone for a Safer, Quieter Experience

Crashes would be no more catastrophic than a ball bouncing on the floor.

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Nov 15

August 14th 2019

Pop! Goes the Uber

Things haven’t been going so hot for Uber, which is burning through billions of dollars a year with no fleet of driverless taxis in sight to stop it. Now, the party is really over: According to a report in Crunchbase News, Uber has decided to stop buying hundreds of thousands of dollars in celebratory balloons…

Tech News Tom McKay Aug 14

May 10th 2019

The Global Helium Shortage Has Gotten So Bad, Party City Is Closing 45 Stores

Helium is an essential chemical element used in MRI scanners, rocket fuel tanks, and floating party balloons. It’s also a finite natural resource, and a global shortage has made it harder to sell balloons at Party City, which is now closing 45 stores. On Thursday, the party supply retail chain announced plans to shut down…

Tech News Melanie Ehrenkranz May 10

May 3rd 2018

The First Exoplanet Known to Contain Helium Is a Truly Alien World

In addition to filling balloons at birthday parties, helium can be found scattered throughout the cosmos. To date, however, scientists have struggled to detect the ubiquitous element on distant worlds, even though the gas is certain to be there. But that’s now changed, thanks to the discovery of helium on a Jupiter-sized world located 200…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 3

December 8th 2017

Elusive ‘Magnetic Monopole’ Phenomenon Found Hiding in Older Chemistry Experiments

You might have scoffed at the “fuckin’ magnets, how do they work” line from the Insane Clown Posse song “Miracles,” but if we’re being honest here, magnets are pretty nuts. Take any old bar magnet and cut it in half and it will still have a North and a South pole. Keep cutting, you’ll never…

Tech News Ryan F. Mandelbaum Dec 8

December 19th 2016

This Towering 65-Foot Robot Arm Weighs Less Than a Puppy

The robot arms designed to build cars in a factory setting have a limited reach, but still manage to weigh several tons. The Giacometti Arm, however, can extend over 65-feet,weighs just two-and-a-half pounds, and can easily squeeze into the trunk of your car. Have researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Suzumori Endo Lab managed…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Dec 19

June 27th 2016

Discovery of Huge Stash of Helium is a ‘Game-Changer’ for Industry

Experts have been warning of a looming shortage of helium for years, as the known reserves are being depleted. Now British researchers have discovered a large reserve of helium gas in Tanzania, using a new exploration method that offers hope for the future. It turns out that volcanic activity plays a critical role in creating…

Physics & Chemistry Jennifer Ouellette Jun 27

July 7th 2015

Hero Man Flies Balloon Chair Through the Sky

In what police aren’t describing (but I definitely am) as a “Classic Up situation,” 26-year-old Daniel Boria tethered 110 giant balloons to his lawn chair until he flew away. Despite turning life into thrilling art, Boria was arrested for his troubles. The entrepreneurial Canadian man flew over Calgary in a bold attempt to publicize his…

Tech News Kate Knibbs Jul 7

December 23rd 2014

Guy in a lawn chair gets lifted by giant balloons like in the movie Up

Every person who has seen the movie Up and also enjoys dreaming about fanciful things every now and again has thought about flying away in balloons like Carl Fredricksen. Professional daredevil and crazy person Erik Roner just did it. He bought tanks of helium to pump up giant balloons to make him fly. All it…

Sploid Casey Chan Dec 23

November 26th 2014

It takes 90 people to wrangle a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon

Our annual day of helium excess is upon us. We speak, of course, of Thanksgiving and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These giant floppy balloons, as tall as buildings and filled with 12,000 cubic feet of helium, are not graceful creatures. The average balloon requires 90 handlers just to get it down the street. Making…

Tech News Sarah Zhang Nov 26

June 16th 2014

The World Cup should be played with 6-foot helium-filled soccer balls

Most Americans just don’t have the same zeal for soccer—or football—as the rest of the world does. But if a giant six-foot wide helium-filled soccer ball were used instead of those regulation balls, maybe more people would tune in here to watch the World Cup. You can actually buy this giant ball from VAT19 to…

Sploid Andrew Liszewski Jun 16

May 23rd 2014

Morgan Freeman Explains Physics While Sucking On Helium

Morgan Freeman has an amazing voice; that we know. But what we didn’t know was how much better it sounds after a good huff of helium. This short and seemingly inexplicable video is a promo for the fifth season of Freeman’s Through the Wormhole series, which is set to return on June 4th on the…

io9 George Dvorsky May 23

Helium

Moon Helium Deal Is the Biggest Space Resource Grab Yet

Former Blue Origin Employees Want to Harvest Helium-3 From the Moon

Physicists Captured Images of Heat’s ‘Second Sound.’ What?

Measuring Helium in Distant Galaxies May Give Physicists Insight Into Why the Universe Exists

You Couldn’t Pay Me to Ride in the Cabin of This Japanese ‘Space Balloon’

Gas From the Big Bang May Be Trapped Inside Earth

This Dark Matter Radio Could Tune Into New Physics

The Helium in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Could Power Some Sweet Science

Harmless Sound Waves Propel This Indoor Camera Drone for a Safer, Quieter Experience

Pop! Goes the Uber

The Global Helium Shortage Has Gotten So Bad, Party City Is Closing 45 Stores

The First Exoplanet Known to Contain Helium Is a Truly Alien World

Elusive ‘Magnetic Monopole’ Phenomenon Found Hiding in Older Chemistry Experiments

This Towering 65-Foot Robot Arm Weighs Less Than a Puppy

Discovery of Huge Stash of Helium is a ‘Game-Changer’ for Industry

Hero Man Flies Balloon Chair Through the Sky

Guy in a lawn chair gets lifted by giant balloons like in the movie Up

It takes 90 people to wrangle a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon

The World Cup should be played with 6-foot helium-filled soccer balls

Morgan Freeman Explains Physics While Sucking On Helium

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