Scientists studying the earth's core, vital to protecting us from dangerous high-energy particles from space, believe not only that it is leaking, but that it has been for about 2.5 billion years. While the cause of the leak remains unknown, as do the consequences for the Earth's magnetic field, scientists appear to have resolved the decades-old debate about whether the Earth's core and mantle exchange material or not. The core is composed of iron and nickel, and with elements like platinum, gold, and tungsten. It reaches temperatures of 5,000 degrees Celsius (9,000 Fahrenheit) and many believe it's responsible for up to 50 percent of the volcanic heat released around the planet. The researchers, from French, Canadian, US and Australian universities, found newer mountains and rocks on the Earth's surface featuring tungsten isotopes which are typically found in the outer core, but no farther up. As a result, the team posits that so-called 'mantle plumes' brought core material to the