The reason why helium is "running out" is it is being treated as a cheap commodity which it is and was. Many experiments and machines would rather top off boili

The reason why helium is "running out" is it is being treated as a cheap commodity which it is and was. Many experiments and machines would rather top off boiling away helium rather than recapture and recompress it in an expensive closed loop refrigeration unit. So yes dirt cheap helium being wasted will run out one day, but as the prices increase conservation will increase, and natural gas producers will find it more economical to invest in capturing it rather than letting it escape.