Isotopes of helium a thousand times lower than helium-4 (2.17 K). This difference is explained by quantum statistics, since helium-3 atoms are fermions, while helium-4 atoms are bosons, which condense to a superfluid more easily. The most common isotope, , is produced on Earth by alpha decay of heavier radioactive elements; the alpha particles that emerge are fully ionized nuclei. is an unusually stable nucleus because its nucleons are arranged into complete shells. It was also formed in enormous quantities during Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Terrestrial helium consists almost exclusively (99.99986%) of this isotope. Its boiling point of 4.2 K is the lowest of
The Lowest of the Low Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails. In 2000, The Lowest of the Low reunited for a five-show tour, playing to sold-out venues in Toronto and Buffalo. In 2001, the live album "Nothing Short of a Bullet" was released. The album also featured a second disc with three new studio songs, including a cover of the Bad Religion song "Kerosene". In 2002, bassist John Arnott left the band and was replaced by Dylan Parker. "Sordid Fiction", the band's first new studio album since 1994, was released in 2004. Following the tour for that record, the band went on extended hiatus again.