Recently, there has been a new trend in the cryptocurrency community called Decentralized Science (DeSci). This article provides an overview of its principles, its impact on traditional science (TradSci), and some potential projects in this field to help readers understand it quickly.
Table of Contents:
1. What is Decentralized Science (DeSci)?
2. How does Decentralized Science (DeSci) work?
3. Advantages and disadvantages of Decentralized Science (DeSci) compared to traditional science.
4. Potential projects in Decentralized Science (DeSci).
– Hippocrat (HPO)
– VitaDAO (VITA)
– ResearchHub (RSC)
– Data Lake (LAKE)
– Valley DAO (GROW)
What is Decentralized Science (DeSci)?
Decentralized Science (DeSci) aims to use Web3 technology to establish new public infrastructure (such as fundraising, publishing, peer review, data openness, commercialization, etc.) to support scientific research and revolutionize the traditional scientific process.
DeSci implements decentralized knowledge creation and dissemination practices to promote knowledge sharing and scientific progress. Its goal is to expand the accessibility of scientific research data, promote a more transparent peer review process, and encourage international collaboration among researchers. Blockchain technology is utilized to ensure the integrity and immutability of scientific records.
How does Decentralized Science (DeSci) work?
The main principles of DeSci are as follows:
1. Secure data storage using blockchain: The immutable and decentralized structure of blockchain technology ensures the security and reliability of data storage, making it resistant to tampering and single points of failure.
2. Decentralized decision-making using DAO: DAO is a crucial component of DeSci, enabling transparent and decentralized resource allocation and project governance. DAO allows stakeholders to manage resources, collaborate, and make decisions without the need for centralized intermediaries. DAO members can use programmable governance mechanisms to implement rules, propose research projects, vote on them, and allocate funds to certain projects.
3. Incentivizing research contributions and intellectual property rights through tokenization: In DeSci, tokens and Intellectual Property Non-Fungible Tokens (IP-NFTs) can incentivize participation and assert ownership of research outcomes. IP-NFTs allow researchers to mark their intellectual property (such as papers, datasets, patents) on the blockchain. Tokens can be used to coordinate incentives within decentralized research communities, reward researchers’ contributions, and encourage collaboration.
Advantages and disadvantages of Decentralized Science (DeSci) compared to traditional science:
The advantages of DeSci include increased transparency and trust compared to traditional science, as well as innovative solutions for funding and incentives. However, as it is a new operational model, it remains to be seen whether researchers can adapt to the new rules and whether decentralization may lead to reduced research efficiency.
Potential projects in Decentralized Science (DeSci):
1. Hippocrat (HPO): Utilizes comprehensive medical databases and AI technology to provide real-time responses to health queries and personalized assistance from verified healthcare professionals. It is a blockchain-based decentralized patient network.
2. VitaDAO (VITA): A decentralized community governance platform focused on anti-aging drugs and longevity research, aiming to accelerate the development of life extension technologies. It allows anyone to actively participate in governance by holding VITA tokens.
3. ResearchHub (RSC): A scientific research incentive platform that is building collaborative and publishing tools to facilitate researchers working together, sharing their discoveries, and receiving feedback from peers. Contributors on the platform are rewarded with RSC tokens, which can also be used to create bounties for research-related tasks.
4. Data Lake (LAKE): A blockchain-based platform for medical data donation, supporting medical research and the development of artificial intelligence. It connects patients willing to donate medical data with researchers in need of such data to improve healthcare services and patient treatment outcomes. LAKE tokens serve as a bridge within the platform.
5. Valley DAO (GROW): A synthetic biology research DAO dedicated to addressing key climate and food challenges through funding and incubating academic research and community building. It leverages coordination principles and Intellectual Property Non-Fungible Tokens (IP-NFTs) of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to make synthetic biology research funding faster, cheaper, and more democratic, while ensuring real-world impact.
Additionally, this article mentions the GenomesDAO project, recently invested in by Pantera Capital. GenomesDAO is a biotechnology DAO that provides secure and decentralized genome testing services and incentivizes user participation.
These are some of the projects in the growing field of Decentralized Science (DeSci).