Decentralized science (DeSci), explained

Understanding traditional science (TradSci) and its limitations

Traditional science, often referred to as “working science,” is the systematic pursuit of knowledge through hypotheses testing, experiments, and careful observation.

In traditional science, power lies with a few key publishers and organizations, giving them excessive influence over research. Consequentially, this setup can hinder progress. For instance, innovation may be stifled as researchers vie for limited resources and funding becomes a significant barrier.

Breakthrough discoveries may face obstacles, such as being rejected for funding in their early stages. Furthermore, the prolonged and prejudiced review process in prestigious journals can delay the dissemination of new findings. This could mean that it takes years before research is made public, hindering the ability of the scientific community to build upon existing knowledge.

In addition, paywalls on research studies present obstacles for access, particularly for self-funded researchers and the general population. This setup could impede collaboration and possibly diminish the impact of scientific discoveries. The substantial fees required to publish a paper contradict the notion that science is meant to benefit the public.

Open-access platforms such as ArXiv exist but lack features like article tracking, author identification, and quality checks. SciHub offers unauthorized access, making it essential to establish an authorized, easily accessible science platform. Web3 technology provides the necessary resources to build a system ensuring data authenticity and fostering collaboration.

Decentralized science as an alternative approach to existing scientific system

In the context of Web3, Decentralized Science (DeSci) represents a new approach to scientific research with the following key features:

Decentralization refers to the transition from traditional power structures, in which a few entities hold most of the control, to more open systems where many individuals have a significant say. This transformation reduces the influence of gatekeepers and broadens access, making it a more inclusive process for sharing resources and making decisions.

At DeSci, we prioritize transparency greatly, ensuring that methodologies, data, and findings are freely accessible to all. By promoting openness and accountability through transparency, we make scientific research more reliable and trustworthy.

At the core of DeSci is the importance of working together. This decentralized platform breaks down barriers, allowing for cross-border collaborations that resist censorship. DeSci values a wide range of perspectives, facilitates the exchange of knowledge, and encourages collective problem-solving by eliminating institutional and geographic restrictions.

In simpler terms, DAOs and related tokens serve as motivators in DeSci by rewarding researchers for their contributions towards advancing knowledge, innovation, and societal impact. These incentives align with the goals of the DeSci community, encouraging active participation, creativity, and adherence to scientific methods.

How DeSci works

DeSci harnesses blockchain for secure data storage, DAOs for decentralized decision-making, and tokenization for incentivizing research contributions and controlling intellectual property.

Because of its unchangeable and distributed nature, blockchain technology provides safe and secure data storage. Blockchain information is protected from manipulation and vulnerabilities to one source of failure since it’s spread across numerous nodes in a network. Each block in the chain generates an ordered sequence of data by including a cryptographic hash of the previous block. Adding a new block to the chain guarantees the authenticity and security of the data, as altering earlier blocks without network consensus is computationally impractical.

In simpler terms, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) play a crucial role in Decentralized Science (DeSci), facilitating open finance management and project administration through transparency and decentralization. With DAOs, stakeholders can work together to manage resources and make decisions collectively, all without the need for central authorities. This collaboration is made possible by utilizing smart contracts on blockchain technology. Members of a DAO have the power to establish regulations, propose projects, and vote on their implementation using built-in governance tools.

In DeSci, tokens and non-fungible tokens representing intellectual property (IP-NFTs) play a crucial role in motivating participation and securing ownership of research findings. Researchers can tokenize their intellectual assets such as papers, datasets, or patents using IP-NFTs on the blockchain. These tokens serve multiple purposes: they help align incentives within decentralized research networks, reward researchers for their efforts with compensation, and foster collaboration by recognizing their contributions.

Using IP-NFTs, scholars can grant themselves the ability to sell or rent out ownership rights to their intellectual property through blockchain technology. This includes works like research papers, databases, and patents. By doing so, innovation and knowledge sharing are fostered within the Decentralized Science (DeSci) community, as academics are motivated to make their discoveries publicly available while retaining control over their intellectual property.

Benefits of DeSci

At DeSci, we encourage creativity and collaboration, make scientific information accessible to all, and strive for a more equitable research community.

Initially, DeSci promotes diversity by reducing entry requirements, allowing scientists worldwide and from various backgrounds to engage in scientific collaborations. Furthermore, by granting open access to data, techniques, and findings, DeSci encourages transparency, trust, and the reproducibility of research, all while incorporating peer review practices.

In addition, Decentralized Science (DeSci) fosters global collaboration among researchers through a decentralized, censorship-free platform that accelerates innovation and solution-finding. DeSci introduces groundbreaking incentive mechanisms, such as tokens and DAOs, to ensure fair compensation for researchers and stimulate participation.

Through IP-NFTs (Intellectual Property Non-Fungible Tokens), researchers can keep ownership of their intellectual property while having the opportunity to earn money from it and encourage openness in sharing. DeSci (Decentralized Science) could also eliminate access barriers by doing away with paywalls, thus making research data more accessible and fostering a broader exchange of knowledge.

In the realm of DeSci, trust and reliable credentials hold significant importance. Souled-bound tokens serve as unique symbols of accomplishment that cannot be transferred, enabling researchers to authentically showcase their skills and trustworthiness among their peers.

Challenges concerned with DeSci

DeSci faces challenges in ensuring data security, efficient DAO governance, blockchain scalability, navigating legal gray areas and promoting inclusivity if it aims to transform research as intended.

In decentralized networks, ensuring data security and maintaining integrity is a significant hurdle due to the potential for malicious actors to manipulate or alter research data. Additionally, achieving consensus in Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) can be complex, requiring effective governance to manage competing interests and decision-making processes.

moreover, scalability remains a challenge as massive research initiatives with significant transaction and data quantities may overwhelm the capabilities of blockchain networks; and the broader use of blockchain is impeded by legal complications and regulatory ambiguity surrounding data possession and intellectual property protections.

In addition, bridging the digital divide and granting equal access to Decentralized Science (DeSci) tools and resources for researchers from various locations and socioeconomic backgrounds is essential. Achieving this goal requires innovation, collaboration, and adaptability in response to the evolving decentralized technology landscape.