Atomic Nuclei Going Pear-Shaped

For certain combinations of protons and neutrons it is expected that the shape of atomic nuclei can undergo octupole deformation, which would give rise to reflection asymmetry or a "pear shape". In this talk I will briefly review the historic evidence for reflection asymmetry in nuclei, and describe how recent experiments using REX-ISOLDE and HIE-ISOLDE, CERN have provided strong evidence that several radium and radon isotopes have either well-defined pear shapes or are octupole vibrational in nature. I will discuss how the new measurements will help test extensions of the Standard Model through searches for atomic Electric Dipole Moments. Finally, I will discuss the future prospects for this field that will benefit from new developments at nuclear physics facilities world-wide.