Decentralized science (DeSci) is a leading narrative in the crypto space at the moment, as entities like ResearchHub, VitaDAO, and AxonDAO make inroads in decentralizing scientific research. Since the term “DeSci” is just now seeping into the public consciousness, you’d be forgiven for thinking that decentralized science is something new. While the concept of “sharing ideas” has been around for a long time, a more modern version of DeSci (via its original term “open science”) can be traced back to the 17th century, a time when powdered wigs were not toe-curling and the scientific community was a very exclusive club.
Formed in London, The Royal Society was a group of academics, clergymen, and royal courtiers who shared a passion and keen interest in new-gen scientific thinking and ideas. This ushered in the scientific journal, a groundbreaking concept that allowed researchers to share their discoveries with the world…or, at least, with those who could read.
Their motto Nullius in Verba (“Take nobody’s word for it”) championed the radical idea (at the time) that scientific claims should be verified through experimentation rather than accepted on authority. This was the birth of modern open science, where transparency and reproducibility became the cornerstones of research.
The Evolution of Open Science
Fast forwarding a few centuries, the free spirit of open science was pretty much replaced by bureaucracy, red tape, and greed. The rise of paywalled journals, proprietary software, and elitist peer-review processes turned the open exchange of knowledge into a bureaucratic maze designed to (shock) benefit private companies and profit margins, rather than the people. This quote by Aaron Swartz in his Guerilla Open Access Manifesto pretty much sums it up:
“Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations.”
In response to this gate-keeping of access, the modern open-science movement emerged, brandishing the banners of open access, open data, and open-source tools. Projects like PLOS One, a peer-reviewed, open-access mega-journal created in 2006, and F1000, an open-research publisher for scientists, scholars, and clinical researchers, spearheaded efforts to make research freely available. Similarly, Creative Commons licenses like CC-BY and CC0 helped ensure that knowledge could be shared and built upon while still honoring and crediting the original creator/ideator. This pushback aimed to recapture the collaborative spirit of early open science while making it more inclusive in a digital age.
Innovation Pushing Evolution
One of the hallmarks of open science is that visionaries and inventors can create new and exciting things that benefit humanity from the macro to the micro level. Or, they can take what’s been created already and make it better. This type of unshackled creation and innovation allows society to evolve — even if it is a small step. At one point, the ballpoint pen was a trendy writing instrument, much to the lamenting cries of quill manufacturers who dominated for 1500 years.
Innovations highlight a key tenet of DeSci: the free exchange of ideas to spur collective progress. For example, AxonDAO — a leading entity within the DeSci space — recently released an insightful video highlighting an independent inventor who changed lives through his humble, yet profound (and openly shared) creation — the peanut sheller.
Jock Brandis, a Canadian film technician turned humanitarian, observed West African village women laboriously shelling peanuts by hand — a task that was both time-consuming and physically taxing, causing their fingers to turn raw. Determined to find a solution, Brandis developed the Universal Nut Sheller, a simple, hand-operated device capable of shelling various types of nuts with remarkable efficiency. But Brandis didn’t stop there; he made the design open-source, allowing communities worldwide to build and adapt the sheller using local materials. This act of decentralizing innovation empowered individuals and fostered self-sufficiency, embodying the very essence of DeSci.
Open Science in the Web3 Era
Flash forward to the 21st century. Blockchain technology is the new king of the hill and open-source science is now known as DeSci. Utilizing innovative blockchain and AI tech, DeSci is poised to provide a level of open-source access never experienced before in the scientific world.
With the immutable and transparent nature of the blockchain, there has never been a better technology more suited to push the next wave of open-source science. Through DeSci processes, peer reviews can be immutably recorded to ensure accountability, research funding can be distributed through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and scientists can communicate directly without intermediaries among one another. Decentralized science really is the future.
What an exciting time to love science.
