The superconducting magnets in our NMR spectrometers need liquid helium to keep them extremely cold and maintain their magnetism. However, helium is a finite resource; once it escapes into the atmosphere, it is lost for good.
With global supplies limited and easily disrupted, countless labs worldwide that perform critical research, such as the SCS NMR Lab, face shortages, rising costs, and delivery delays.
The articles, audio, and videos below explain the shortage from the science, history, and business side of helium. Below these articles are links to local tools for helium management.
Audio
- An audio NPR story (2 min 22 sec; 15 Mar 2026)
- Another audio NPR story (3 min 27 sec; 3 Apr 2026)
- A longer, more entertaining, and historical audio episode on NPR (15 min 30 sec; 6 Apr 2026; featuring Sophia Hayes at 9 min 40 sec; Wash U, St. Louis) (you can skip ahead to 2 min 43 sec)
- Helium Interview with Sophia Hayes on NPR's The Middle, November 2024
Video
- Why you should care about a helium shortage | 60 Minutes (13 min 5 sec, 18 Oct 2026)
- Interesting but sobering discussion about the business side of helium on Bloomberg TV (10 min 47 sec)
- CBC video story featuring Bob Berno, among several other Canadian Colleagues (2 min 8 sec; 5 Apr 2026)
Articles
- Physics Today Article - 4 Apr 2022
- Helium Shortage - C&EN Article - 15 Feb 2016, Vol. 94 Issue 7
- Helium Shortage - C&EN Article – 16 Jul 2012 Vol. 90 Issue 29
- Helium Reserve - Wall Street Journal Article – 10 Aug 2012
- Helium Stop Squandering - Nature Article - 31 May 2012
- Helium Shortage – List of Web Links - Updated 17 September 2013
- Helium Recovery System at Iowa State – Jennifer Rapp and Dean Olson