A massive, game-changing natural resource discovery is unfolding right in America’s backyard. In this episode of In Business, host Ken Buehler travels to northeastern Minnesota’s Iron Range, where an exploration company called Pulsar Helium has uncovered a domestic goldmine of helium. While most people associate helium with party balloons, it is actually a critical, dwindling resource essential for supercooling MRI machines, manufacturing AI semiconductor chips, and powering quantum computers. Ken speaks with Cliff Kane (President of Pulsar Helium) about the staggering 12% helium concentrations found at the Jetstream 1 well site, and learns about the groundbreaking discovery of Helium-3—a rare isotope valued at $30 million per kilogram. We also dive deep underground with geologist Dr. Jarish Takarta to understand how 1.1-billion-year-old volcanic rock trapped this gas, and talk to Wes Minton of Chart Industries about the state-of-the-art cryogenic technology needed to bring this resource to the global market. This program is made possible by the support of viewers like you. Learn more about how your membership to PBS North helps fund local programs like this one. https://pbsnorth.org/support/ Have a story idea? Email us at ask@pbsnorth.org 🔗 Stay Connected: Watch more episodes: pbsnorth.org or the PBS app. Listen on the radio: Tune in to @Thenorth1033 on Mondays at 5:30 PM. 0:00 – Introduction: The Global Helium Shortage & High-Tech Uses 01:31 – Welcome to the Iron Range: Pulsar Helium’s Chance Discovery 02:26 – Why This “Pure Play” Helium Find is Economically Huge 03:41 – Helium-4 vs. Helium-3: The $30 Million Space & AI Arms Race 05:22 – Minnesota’s New Legal Framework for Gas Production 05:54 – Bonus Commodity: Capturing Food & Medical Grade CO2 06:37 – Could Minnesota Become the Next Semiconductor Chip Hub? 07:31 – The Geology: Where Does Helium Come From? (Dr. Jarish Takarta) 08:52 – How 1.1-Billion-Year-Old Rock