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Something a bit different for this week's blog at Atomic Ecology. I'm excited to launch a new series for 2026, Atomic Ecology meets. These sessions combine a typical , but condensed, research seminar with a discussion about the story before the research and some insights on what its like to be an isotope ecologist! For the first of these, I'm delighted to be joined by Dr. Sora Kim, who leads a dynamic and wide ranging research program at the the University of California Merce

Ever wondered how a salmon remembers its way home? Or how scientists can tell where a mammoth wandered thousands of years ago—without needing a GPS collar the size of a small car? Welcome to the world of migration from isotopes , where atoms become storytellers. This week at Atomic Ecology, I have been preparing lectures for my new online course. I took a deep dive into how isotopic chemistry can trace the movement of animals, from salmon in Scottish loughs to monarch butter

We are preparing for an election here in Ireland—we’ll be voting for our 10th president this day next week. The pre-election polls are landing fast and frequently. Thankfully, the Irish presidential election is not quite the ordeal that the US one is, and the polling is not as frantic. A Decade of Observations My decade in Canada coincided with several US election cycles. Like many Canadians, I spent far too long focusing on what was likely to happen south of our border. I wa

Friday is blog day, and this Friday also happens to be World Egg Day ! Yes, it seems we even have a special day to celebrate eggs. At Atomic Ecology, we (well, I ) take pride in having a stable isotope story for almost any occasion — and today is no eggception (sorry…). The Joy of Teaching Isotope Science A couple of years ago, as we emerged from the COVID lockdowns and returned to more normal academic routines, I was once again teaching my stable isotope course in person .

An Atomic origin story…. Today is my birthday, I have just turned 45 and life is wide open and scary as hell. In the last year, I have...

Food webs are the blueprint for ecosystems, detailing how nutrients and energy fuel every aspect of life on Earth.