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The article reviews a report from Andersen et al published in the issue on how using isotope ratios of the element uranium through multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (MCICPMS) provides temporal constraints on crystal-recycling processes. It focuses on the hypothesis that oceanic crust, when returned to the Earth's mantle during collisions between tectonic plates, could influence the chemistry of Earth's interior and can be seen in ocean island basalts (OIBS).

The article discusses concentration level of isotopic gradients in rains. Topics include variations in rain hydrogen and oxygen gradients, effect of storms and water vapour on controlling the levels, and link between mountains and the gradients for understanding of past and present climatic changes. An image of water-vapour transport along a storm track in Denali National Park and Reserve in Alaska is presented.

The article discusses a study by E. Churazov and colleagues that reports a discovery of γ-ray emission lines from the type Ia supernova 2014J in galaxy M82 using the INTEGRAL spacecraft from the European Space Agency. It says that the γ-rays they observed were produced by the radioactive decay of isotopes in a thermonuclear flame. In addition, it also notes that the observed amount of γ-ray emission represents nearly 0.6 solar masses of 56Ni.