From Evidence to Origin: Solving Mysteries with Isoscapes with Gabe Bowen

In this episode of GeOCHemISTea, Sam sits down with Gabe Bowen to explore the world of forensic isotope geochemistry and the power of isoscapes.

From identifying where someone has lived, to reconstructing movement through hair and teeth, isotopes are becoming a powerful investigative tool—bridging geochemistry, ecology, and forensic science.

They break down:

• What forensic isotope geochemistry actually is (and what it isn’t)
• How isoscapes turn isotope data into geographic maps
• Why hydrogen, oxygen, strontium, and sulfur matter
• How hair, teeth, and bone record different parts of a life story
• The role of geochemistry in solving cold cases and tracking animal movement

And yes... there’s a detour into true crime, salmon migration, and what isotopes might reveal about your last vacation.

This episode highlights how geochemistry extends far beyond rocks and into real-world problems with immediate impact.

🎧 If you’ve ever wondered how geochemistry can help answer the question “Where did this come from?”... this one’s for you.

For this episode we read:

Human tissue oxygen and strontium isotope values in North America: A data compilation and assessment for forensic geolocation (Verostick et al., 2025) BITS: A Bayesian Isotope Turnover and Sampling model for strontium isotopes in proboscideans and its potential utility in movement ecology (Yang et al., 2023)

Isoscapes: Understanding movement, pattern, and process on Earth through isotope mapping (West et al., 2010)

Multi-isotopes in human hair: A tool to initiate cross-border collaboration in international cold-cases (Batalle et al., 2022)