Ian Sample

At least 30% of the world's supply of helium passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Not just for birthday balloons, helium is a critical element in all kinds of areas, from MRI machines to the Large Hadron Collider and even deep-sea diving.

It's also integral to the AI boom.

Without it, no chips.

So today, the invisible gas that's powering modern technology, and what happens if we run out?

I'm the Guardian science editor, Ian Sample, and this is Science Weekly.

Maddy, the war in Iran has had an unexpected, for the most of us at least, impact.

Helium shortages.

Give me a primer on helium and why it's so important.

So we use helium across all kinds of different and critical applications.

Certainly liquid helium is a bit of a fixture in laboratories.

And where do we actually get helium from?

I know it's in the atmosphere, but where do we get it from?

How is it stored and transported then?

Maddy, that takes us to the current shortages.

What's been going on?

So has this shortage hit users yet?

For scientists like Sophia, what happens when they do experience helium shortages?

Coming up, how do we stop this critical element from slipping through our fingers?

Maddy, this isn't the first helium shortage there's been in recent years.