Except for hydrogen, helium is the most abundant element in the universe. So why worry about any supply shortage? Let's look a little deeper. Although very abundant on the sun and in the Universe, helium is rather rare on Earth It is so light that when released into the atmosphere it escapes into space and is lost forever. In a few days from when I write this column, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the liquefaction of helium by Kamerlingh Onnes at the University of Leiden on July 10, 1908.
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