Author name: Francis Albarède

Metalloproteins play essential roles in biology and medicine. Calcium is a major component of bones, while electron and oxygen transport in the body relies on iron and copper. Isotope fractionation of metal stable elements uniquely reflects specific biochemical pathways. Variations in these isotope ratios from normal levels in body fluids can be used as reliable markers of pathological conditions. Metal stable isotope fractionation reflects the energetics of bonding, is amenable to theoretical calculations and is fast becoming a powerful medical diagnostic tool. Examples include how calcium isotopes can be used to monitor bone loss, how iron isotopes can react to genetic disorders, and how copper isotopes can help track cancer progression.

As geochemists and mineralogists, we are well aware of the impact of our science. We can often reel off examples of how our discoveries have influenced industry and improved humankind’s knowledge about how the Earth works, as well as how natural and anthropogenic processes have led to its present state. Moreover, because of a century of analytical developments and conceptual breakthroughs, geochemists are now versatile and can now work across the entire spectrum of the Earth sciences. However, we are not so good at promoting the social and economic impacts of geochemistry.