Scientists 'strike gold' in shocking discovery from Hawaiian volcanic rocks
A new study of these volcanic rocks from Hawaii, that leaked out from deep under the lithosphere, contained various precious metals.
Dr. Nils Messling of the Göttingen University's Department of Geochemistry said in a news release they were surprised when the test results came in.
"When the first results came in, we realized that we had literally struck gold! Our data confirmed that material from the core, including gold and other precious metals, is leaking into the Earth's mantle above," Messling said.
Approximately 99% of the Earth's gold is buried deep in the Earth's Metallic Core, far out of humankind's reach.
The gold is currently buried about 1,800 miles deep in the core.
The discovery of this ruthenium, which was formed and locked down with gold, might be a telling sign that these volcanic rocks are coming from deep within the Earth.
"Our findings not only show that the Earth's core is not as isolated as previously assumed. We can now also prove that huge volumes of super-heated mantle material – several hundreds of quadrillion metric tonnes of rock – originate at the core-mantle boundary and rise to the Earth's surface to form ocean islands like Hawaii," said Professor Matthias Willbold in a news release.
There is a way to test for isotopes of ruthenium, especially when differences are small variations of the same element.
The isotopes of ruthenium in the Earth's core are slightly different from those on the surface, with the difference being too small to really detect.
However, new procedures developed by researchers at the University of Göttingen have made it possible.
"Whether these processes that we observe today have also been operating in the past remains to be proven. Our findings open up an entirely new perspective on the evolution of the inner dynamics of our home planet," Messling said in a statement.
With these precious metals beginning to leak to the Earth's surface, it could suggest that the supplies of gold and others important for renewable energy came from the Earth's core.
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Yahoo
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Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any signs and symptoms of liver problems, including: yellowing of your skin or the white part of your eyes (jaundice) dark or brown (tea colored) urine pain on the upper right side of your stomach area (abdomen) bleeding or bruising more easily than normal feeling very tired loss of appetite nausea or vomiting heart problems that may affect your heart's ability to pump blood. HERNEXEOS can cause heart problems. Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your heart function before you start taking HERNEXEOS and during treatment. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new or worsening symptoms of heart problems, including: feeling like your heart is pounding or racing Dizziness Tiredness feeling lightheaded shortness of breath loss of consciousness coughing swelling of your legs, ankles, or feet lung problems. HERNEXEOS can cause lung problems that are severe or life-threatening. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new or worsening symptoms of lung problems, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or fever. Your healthcare provider may temporarily stop, decrease your dose, or permanently stop treatment with HERNEXEOS if you have serious side effects. The most common side effects of HERNEXEOS include: diarrhea. HERNEXEOS can cause severe diarrhea. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have diarrhea. liver problems Rash feeling tired nausea The most common severe abnormal blood tests include decreased white blood cell count, increased liver function tests, and decreased potassium levels. HERNEXEOS may cause fertility problems in females and males, which may affect your ability to have children. Talk to your healthcare provider if this is a concern for you. These are not all of the possible side effects of HERNEXEOS. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit or call 1-800-FDA-1088. For U.S. Healthcare Professionals, please see full Prescribing Information. CL--100065 07.28.2025 References: 1HERNEXEOS Prescribing Information 2Heymach, J. et al. Zongertinib in previously treated HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2025;01-13. 3Baraibar I, et al. Novel drugs targeting EGFR and HER2 exon 20 mutations in metastatic NSCLC. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2020;148:102906. 4Li, B.T. et al. Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2-Mutant Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2022;386:241–51 5Zeng J, Ma W, Young RB, Li T. Targeting HER2 genomic alterations in non-small cell lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Cent. 2021 May 3;1(2):58-73. 6International Agency for Research on Cancer – World Health Organization. Rates of trachea, bronchus and lung cancer. Available at: (Accessed: January 2025). 7American Cancer Society. Lung Cancer Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging. Available at: (Accessed: January 2025). 8Casal-Mouriño, A. et al. Epidemiology of stage III lung cancer: frequency, diagnostic characteristics, and survival. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2021;10(1):506-518. 9National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER). 5-Year Survival (Accessed July 2025). 10Belaroussi, Y. et al. Survival outcomes of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy or immunotherapy as first-line in a real-life setting. Sci Rep. 2023.13, 9584. 11Simeone, J. C. et al. Treatment patterns and overall survival in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer in a real-world US setting. Fut. Oncol. Lond. Engl. 2019. 15(30), 3491–3502. 12Valentine, T. R. et al. Illness Perceptions and Psychological and Physical Symptoms in Newly Diagnosed Lung Cancer. Health Psychol. 2022 Jun; 41(6): 379–388. 13Andersen, B. L. et al. Newly diagnosed patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A clinical description of those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Lung Cancer. 2020 Jul;145:195-204. 14Presley, C. J. et al. Functional Disability Among Older Versus Younger Adults With Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021 May 3;17(6):e848–e858. Attachment Illustrative imageError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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