Scientists have discovered helium-3 beneath northern Minnesota, a rare isotope once thought to exist mainly on the Moon.

Helium-3 is usually talked about as a Moon resource – something future astronauts might mine from lunar dust to power fusion reactors or cool quantum machines. Its discovery beneath forests and wetlands in northern Minnesota has surprised many scientists.

At the Topaz Project near Babbitt, drilling has revealed measurable, usable amounts of helium-3 in gas trapped deep underground.