• Question: whats your favourite non-metal

    Asked by chic to Ashley, Bernard, Carsten, MariaMagdalena, Monique on 16 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Monique Henson

      Monique Henson answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Possibly helium – although my answer might change depending on when you asked me! Helium is the second most abundant element in the Universe after hydrogen. The amount of helium in the Universe turns out to be a really big test of the Big Bang theory, and it adds lots of support for the idea. That means it’s really interesting to cosmologists (like me).

      It has other cool properties though. Helium can exist in a superfluid state, which means it can flow past surfaces without any friction. That’s pretty cool!

      Even when it’s not in a superfluid state, liquid Helium is pretty useful. It’s used in all sorts of things – from scientific experiments to MRI machines.

      On top of all that, breathing it in and then talking makes your voice go squeaky. That’s always fun.

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