Contrary to conspiracy theories, the Earth’s core isn’t hollow. The dense, hot ball instead contains a stew of precious metals including platinum, ruthenium, and pretty much all of the planet’s gold. “Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into Earth’s mantle above.”Messling and collaborators explained their findings in a study published on May 21 in the journal Nature. While ¹⁰⁰Ru does exist in Earth’s mantle, it’s slightly more abundant inside of the core—alongside 99.999 percent of the planet’s gold and other precious metals. The ramifications are significant: Earth’s core, once thought inaccessible, is ejected in small amounts up towards the surface during volcanic eruptions.