Introduction

To ensure a lasting influence and broad adoption, web3 needs to present examples of distributed ledger technology (DLT) applications that can be easily understood by the general public. Beyond the public, these applications must demonstrate increased efficiency, effectiveness, reliability, and trustworthiness beyond the financial realm so as to better convey the technological possibilities of DLT to societies with strong existing financial infrastructures. Decentralized science (DeSci) is well-suited to provide such examples, thus bolstering the credibility and legitimacy of the entire web3 industry.

The necessity for open science has already been acknowledged by policymakers, academics, investors, and the public; traditional compartmentalized systems hinder the free exchange and progression of knowledge. Additionally, the longstanding push for open access has led to a shift in scientific culture, with openness now considered the standard. Now, the accelerating open data movement stands on a solid foundation of principles as it advocates for universal access to scientific data. Web3 tools provide the necessary infrastructure for a system of science that inherently promotes these open principles, leaving no need to fight for them as with web3 tools, open principles are default by design.

The current reality is that while various forms of peer-to-peer digital cash, tokens, and decentralized autonomous organizations may seem legitimate to those familiar with their technology and use-cases, the general public often views them as unfamiliar, unregulated, and potentially dangerous. We can more easily showcase the great range of potential for the decentralized web by using complex web3 primitives, such as the marketplace of currencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), non-transferrable tokens (NTTs), and distributed autonomous organizations (DAOs), to build tools for open science. As various stakeholders recognize the importance of open science and as DeSci emerges as the leading movement to implement open science principles, it is reasonable to assume that DeSci's success will contribute significantly to the validation of the entire web3 ecosystem.

In this paper we invite web3 builders to join the DeSci movement through an exploration of how DeSci is best positioned to serve as a powerful legitimizing force for the entire web3 industry. We contend that by empowering scientists to utilize DLT in their research workflows, DeSci not only accelerates the development of layers 1 and 2 of the web3 stack but also fosters a favorable regulatory environment, secures public support for web3, demonstrates utility beyond the financial sector, and attracts non-profit, impact, and institutional funding, backing, and alignment. Additionally, we argue that DeSci offers contributors invaluable benefits, such as personal fulfillment through complex interdisciplinary problem-solving, significant networking opportunities with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporations, and the capacity to employ web3 to create a measurable impact today rather than in the distant future.

Please note that there are numerous existing DeSci projects. However, to maintain neutrality, we have not provided any specific examples in this paper. We invite anyone interested to join the DeSci community and inquire about the projects and their respective focuses. A few resources can be found at the end of the paper for further exploration and guidance.

A brief review of the problems in science

The problems within the traditional system of science are complex, interconnected, and multitudinous. We recommend exploring the additional resources provided at the end of this paper if you wish to learn more.

To illustrate one main issue in the traditional system of science, however, let us consider a simplified parallel to the music industry. Artists and record labels have a relationship wherein record labels fund artists by purchasing the rights to their music. Artists then receive royalties beyond the initial funding.

In contrast, scientific publishers provide neither initial funding nor royalties to scientists for their research. Instead, scientific publishers profit from the knowledge scientists discover, often funded by taxpayers through government grants. It makes no sense that scientists, arguably one of the most important creators in our society, are paid minimal wages while their research is funded by taxpayers and while publishers force everyone to pay to access the knowledge they discover.

Other examples of central challenges in scientific research are the reproducibility crisis, whereby a significant number of published studies cannot be independently reproduced or replicated, and the competitive "publish or perish" culture, which often leads to the cherry-picking of data, sensationalism, and even research fraud. These issues are exacerbated by the centralized and opaque nature of research funding, publication, and peer review.

Web3 technologies offer potential solutions to these problems by providing transparent, tamper-proof, and collaborative platforms for scientific research. DLT also offers scientists the opportunity to retain ownership of the research they create, while the public nature of DLT democratizes the gatekeeping responsibility of scientific knowledge, transforming it into the more accessible role of simple curation. Supporting Legitimacy in Web3

DeSci stands to dramatically reshape public perception of the web3 industry by producing easily comprehensible and relatable outcomes that emphasize the benefits of decentralized technologies. Discoveries and advancements in fields such as physics, engineering, biomedical and environmental sciences, as well as more reliable scientific results, resonate more strongly with the public than other blockchain applications like yield farming, art NFTs, or algorithmic stable coins.

DeSci projects focus on issues that directly affect public well-being, thereby fostering public engagement with web3 technologies and the scientific process. For example, DeSci projects that work on vaccines and medicine, climate change solutions, ecosystem revitalization and restoration, and science education and engagement, already exist and have made significant positive impact in the world. The public’s appreciation of science and such directly impactful outcomes allows DeSci to serve as a bridge between the public, science, and the web3 industry, simultaneously promoting a positive perception of decentralized technologies and expanding public participation in scientific research.

Positive media coverage is also critical to legitimizing web3. The outcomes of DeSci initiatives directly counter negative narratives surrounding DLT applications, such as those related to scams, environmental concerns, and criminal activities. For instance, consider the coverage behind DeSci-adjacent initiatives such as Rosetta@Home and Folding@Home that helped combat the COVID pandemic.

DeSci is also uniquely positioned to align with the goals of numerous philanthropic organizations, impact investors, and institutions that aim to improve public well-being and tackle global challenges through scientific research, innovation, and inclusion. DeSci tooling enables these parties to optimize research funding allocation, increase transparency, promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, and engage and educate the public. Many DeSci initiatives have already formed relationships with public institutions, philanthropic organizations, and corporations that prioritize metascience, societal improvements, and the advancement of human knowledge and discovery. Support from public and other established institutions further legitimizes the entire web3 industry. Ultimately, DeSci provides an onramp to web3 that doesn’t otherwise exist for unique impact-based public and private organizations.

A major reason such partnerships are possible is that DeSci applications and platforms are built specifically for day-to-day real-world use by researchers, funders, libraries, and institutions. This use does not depend on financial tooling such as tokens, cryptocurrencies, or yield. Instead, DeSci initiatives work to remove specific inefficiencies in the scientific process. The result is an abstraction of highly intricate web3 primitives behind user-friendly interfaces designed to improve workflows.

The absence of financial tooling, which is often a major barrier for skeptical participants, combined with genuine workflow utility and technical abstraction, acts as a springboard for massive adoption throughout the scientific community. Moreover, open science is the future of academia; The scientific community is interested in anything that helps achieve open science by default. As scientists engage with DeSci applications, they provide invaluable, highly focused feedback and insights, driving the development of more refined and practical web3 tools. Researchers who delve into the technical intricacies of these innovative tools bring with them their academic training, instinct, and expertise, all of which are indispensable assets for the web3 industry in its pursuit of legitimacy.

Increased day-to-day adoption necessitates healthy, robust, and scalable layers 1 and 2 of the web3 stack. The scientific community, for example, generates vast amounts of data and requires dependable, secure platforms for collaboration, data sharing, and computation. The scientific community also relies heavily on real-world identity verification and web-of-trust reputation, lending public facing identities to the use of web3. By stimulating real-world day-to-day usage of web3 technologies, DeSci pushes developers to address scalability and performance challenges, thereby ensuring the ongoing growth and sustainability of the web3 industry. The increased stability leads to increased adoption, ultimately creating a feedback-loop that attracts some of the world’s brightest minds and influential institutions to the web3 ecosystem.

As the public begins to recognize the potential benefit of the web3 industry beyond the financial system, and as the world’s brightest minds and most impactful institutions begin to utilize web3 tools, policy-makers will be more encouraged to take a nuanced approach to regulation. Regulators will also need to strike a balance between national competitiveness and public interest when drafting legislation, as over-regulation could hinder scientific progress and cede advantages to other countries with more supportive regulatory environments. By demonstrating the benefits of web3 technologies in driving scientific advancements instead of alternative financial systems, the DeSci movement serves as a reminder for regulators to carefully weigh the consequences of their decisions on a nation's research ecosystem.

Lastly, and as with many DLT tools, DeSci tools are inclusive by nature, locking open participation to individuals from all backgrounds, socio-economic status, and geographies. Combining the open nature of DLT with science, DeSci promotes the development of cross-border standards and best practices for applying web3 technologies to scientific research. DeSci’s emphasis on stringent, day-to-day, true utility for the global scientific community can foster international cooperation and standardization, creating a global environment in which decentralized technologies can flourish.

DeSci Needs You

The potential of DeSci to revolutionize the way we conduct, publish, access, and assess scientific research cannot be understated. While engagement with scientists and institutions is crucial for DeSci’s advancement, realizing its potential undoubtedly requires the active contributions and support from the web3 community. DeSci offers unique opportunities for personal and professional growth and impact for those contributing to this nascent movement.

DeSci projects accelerate the pace of verifiable and accessible scientific discovery by fostering a more efficient, collaborative, and transparent research ecosystem. These enhancements have already contributed to the development of life-saving treatments, novel technologies, and innovative solutions to issues such as climate change, food security, and public health. While much of web3 focuses on important long-term impacts, DeSci is building for impact today.

Still, DeSci initiatives have immense potential for delivering substantial long-term societal benefits by advancing scientific research and implementing and improving tools for open science. DeSci enables researchers to easily share data, methodologies, and findings, reducing duplication of efforts, enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration, and building trust with the public. The benefits of this open system of science have far-reaching implications for various aspects of human life and society’s collective ability to address pressing global challenges for centuries to come.

For example, DeSci initiatives democratize access to scientific knowledge and resources, leveling the playing field for researchers and institutions worldwide. By breaking down information barriers and fostering a more inclusive research environment, DeSci aims to empower scientists from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented regions to contribute to global scientific progress. This democratization of science can lead to more diverse and innovative solutions to global challenges.

DeSci initiatives also motivate young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, expanding our collective problem-solving and innovation capacity. Take for example, SETI@Home, a very well known web2-based DeSci-adjacent project developed in the late 90s. SETI@Home was designed to empower, include, and engage the public. It and similar initiatives inspired countless currently practicing scientists, developers, and DeSci builders. By including the public and showcasing the transformative potential of decentralized technologies in science, we can build a society that contributes to, and in doing so trusts, the discovery, validation, and replication of knowledge, the core public good of modern society.

Simultaneously, DeSci addresses a global phenomenon in which countries with sophisticated financial infrastructures are slower to adopt web3 due to their existing systems, while others leapfrog traditional financial infrastructure in favor of web3 systems. Nations with well-developed financial infrastructures might not see the necessity for web3 as their systems, despite their flaws, generally function well compared to countries that are adopting web3 financial structures. However, these same countries with advanced financial infrastructures often face challenges in their scientific systems. Recognizing this, the public, governments, and institutions are open to innovative solutions that address the issues within the scientific domain. DeSci is the catalyst for web3 adoption in the more financially stable parts of the world.

Considering these examples of outcomes of DeSci, those you will learn when you join the community, and the possibility to collaborate and network with some of the worlds most influential institutions, governments, and corporations, DeSci is a field of web3 that offers countless opportunities to builders in the space. Conclusion

Progress in the traditional system of science is held back by a complex tapestry of patchwork structures and failing mechanisms. DLT and the web3 industry offer powerful tools that enable a new way forward for humanity's greatest endeavor: the discovery of new knowledge. As a result, each successful DeSci initiative serves as a vital link between the public, science, and the web3 industry.

By building DeSci, we can demonstrate the tangible benefits and true utility of web3 technologies in real-world applications. This, in turn, will reshape public perception and understanding of decentralized technologies, foster a more favorable regulatory environment, and encourage wider adoption across various sectors. DeSci lends immediate legitimacy to web3 that the industry can leverage to accelerate adoption across the board.

Gets me excited about another projects like SETI@Home coming along. The BOINC platform (which SETI@Home used to distribute work) is alive and well. You can contribute your spare computational power to finding pulsars, curing cancer, and more. [email protected]

If you speak any non-English languages, BOINC could use your help with translation.

World Community Grid continues their work in identifying genes linked to lung cancer.

"Did you know you have the power to discover new anti-cancer drugs 👩‍⚕️, map the galaxy 🔭, and find new subatomic particles ⚛️ using your computer’s spare computational power? Join us in using the BOINC software to advance the progress of science. We are a newbie-friendly space, please feel free to ask questions and give new users a helping hand."

Did you know that you could use your computer's spare computational capacity to find disease cures, map the galaxy, and help research in practically every area of science? You can by installing the BOINC software and picking a project to attach to. We call processing for these projects "crunching". It can be set to only run while your computer is not in use, so it won't slow down anything. You don't need to be computer-savvy to run BOINC.

BOINC works on all types of computers and hardware (PC, Mac, Linux, GPU support too!).

Are you a researcher who needs free computational power? Check out our researcher guide!

How to download and install? Which projects should I crunch?

Whichever one you want to, of course! If you have a graphics card (GPU), you may wish to prioritize projects which can utilize this hardware since it is often orders of magnitude more efficient.

➡️ Check out our list of active projects to find one that you're excited to contribute to. It's sorted by category (medical research, astrophysics, etc) and shows which projects support which hardware (CPU/GPU) and OS (Windows/OS X/Linux).

If you don't want to deal with picking specific projects, you can use Science United instead of BOINC, which is a simplified version of BOINC where you pick "areas" of science such as "medicine" or "physics" and it automatically picks projects for you. Note that this is incompatible with incentivization methods like Gridcoin, and you do not get individual stats on sites like BOINCStats.

➡️ Once you have your project's picked, go to the BOINC download page. Open the downloaded file to install it. Linux users should use this guide to install BOINC. There are videos to guide you through installation on Windows and MacOS if you'd like, the whole process takes less than five minutes. Android users should download directly from the BOINC website or from F-droid, the version in the play store is very out of date and buggy. See below for warnings about crunching with Android.

It's a good idea to crunch for at least two projects, that way if one project runs out of work, your computer won't be sitting idle. You can set a project's resource share/weight to zero which means that it will only be crunched if work for other projects can't be found. You can, of course, crunch as many projects as you'd like.

Where can I go for help?

The BOINCNetwork discord is probably the best place to get quick answers. You can also make posts here. Most projects have active forums on their site as well, which is particularly helpful if you have project-specific questions.

Does crunching actually accomplish anything?

Absolutely! BOINC has resulted in the publication of hundreds of scientific papers, the production of new drugs and vaccines, and produces several ever-growing databases of stellar objects (black holes, pulsars, etc). It's worth noting that while some of BOINC's work is directed at producing particular "products of science" such as new drugs, much of it falls under the realm of "foundational science" for example finding binding sites for a protein which are then used to tailor specific drugs to match. Or testing a variety of hypothesis as to why a subatomic particle behaves a certain way. Foundational science is particularly hard to fund as VC and angel investors see no way to make a return on it, yet it is critical to the advancement of science. If you care about making sure your crunching has the biggest impact possible, consider in your project selection whether the project openly publishes their results for others to use and build upon.

Can I crunch on multiple computers?

Absolutely! Just make sure you use the same e-mail address and password for all your machines so that all the credit gets pooled together under one account. The BOINC Account Manager (optional) can help you manage multiple machines, sign up for multiple projects quickly, and show you cool stats from your crunching.

Will crunching hurt my computer or shorten its lifespan?

The short answer for desktop computers is no. Crunching will not harm your computer, computers after all are designed to compute! While crunching does utilize your CPU/GPU heavily, the reality is that every other component in your computer will likely fail first (your hard drive, OS, etc) or become obsolete before your CPU/GPU dies. Many computers crunch for a decade plus with no issues, at which point they make most sense to replace from an energy perspective alone.

However, if your machine has a pre-existing problem with heating (like if it's full of dust or running inside a cabinet), crunching can exacerbate this problem or make its symptoms more readily visible. Modern CPUs are designed to throttle and turn off if the heat becomes too high, but for longevity it is best to stop them from getting to this level in the first place. You should be removing dust from your computer's fans every 6-12 months depending on your environment. Making sure your computer is not on the floor or carpet will also help greatly with dust accumulation. Here's a video documenting the basics of dust removal, be sure to do it outside and wear a dust mask or other respiratory protection to keep yourself from inhaling all the dust.

Generally speaking, a CPU under high load shouldn't be higher than the mid 80s in Celsius. Note that newer processors (Alder Lake and Raptor Lake), and Ryzen (Zen 4) are designed to operate closer to their max temp which is 90-95. You can monitor your CPU temps with a tool like Open Hardware Monitor. If you are cleaning out your case regularly and your computer seems to be running fine, you don't need to keep an eye on temps. I don't monitor mine, for example. If you research what "safe" temps are online, you will see widely differing opinions. This is partially from people who do not know what they are talking about, but also because CPUs can have wide temperature ranges in their official documentation. If your heat seems too high, you can limit the number of cores BOINC can use in the settings, or clean out dust, or add fans, or even run your computer with the case open. Re-applying thermal paste can result in a dramatic reduction in heat, particularly for older machines.

Laptops, on the other hand, are often built with insufficient heat exhaustion and can quickly overheat at full load. Heat will also shorten your battery life significantly. Set BOINC to only use 50% of your CPU power and not to use your GPU to keep heat manageable. Be sure to regularly clean dust out of your vents just like with a desktop PC, you can use a pen to hold the fans in place while blowing the dust out. With laptops, remember that warm is fine, hot is bad. Even without BOINC, always run laptops on hard surfaces, placing them on blankets or carpets can quickly cause overheating.

While BOINC does have an Android app, it is widely considered a quick way to kill your phone. It has no good way to manage heat, phones are not designed to be run at 100% all the time, and can quickly lead to swollen and dangerous batteries. You can limit BOINC's usage but even 50% is too high for some phones. I do not suggest crunching with Android unless it's an old device you are willing to sacrifice. Removing the battery (if removable) is a really good idea. That being said, many Android devices are much more efficient per watt than desktops or laptops, so they are actually a great choice if you can work around their limitations.

Will this make my electricity bill skyrocket?

No. Most of a computer's energy usage is simply due to it being on, not being run at "full blast". A standard desktop or laptop might draw 90W at full usage, a 20" Box Fan would draw around the same. This might cost you $2-$10 per month, assuming you'd have your computer on half the time anyways, running BOINC 24/7 would cost you an additional $1-$5/month depending on your electric rates.

Determining your wattage: You can find your computer's actual electrical draw by using a device like a kill-a-watt. You can also look at your computers power supply (where the power cord comes into a desktop, or the power brick your laptop uses) to see the wattage. Actual wattage used under full load would generally be 80-90% of that number. If you have a custom built computer like for gaming, your power supply might be significantly oversized to leave room for future expansion, so your actual wattage is likely closer to 50-80% of the listed wattage,

Here's a handy calculator for figuring our your monthly cost. The calculator provides a good default electrical rate for US consumers, but you can find your specific electric rate by googling "electric rate city, state, country" or by looking at your utility bill. Keep in mind that you can offset some of this cost in winter, since your computer is replacing heat you'd otherwise have to pay for.

Why is crunching in winter cheaper or even free?

Every electric appliance is equally efficient at generating heat. That means when you put 1W in, you get 1W of heat out, it doesn't matter whether it's a computer, a blender, or an electric space heater. This may be counter-intuitive, but it's not controversial physics. When you see an appliance which a "high efficiency" it is describing the ratio of electricity consumed vs "work" done. For example, a microwave might be "60% efficient" which means 60% of the energy used ends up in your food ("work"), and 40% ends up "lost to heat" converting the electricity to microwaves. But if you leave that heated soup out on the counter, what happens to the heat in the soup? It dissipates into the room. So all the energy put into your microwave ends up as heat. No energy was lost, it simply changed form before arriving at its final form as heat. You can essentially think of a 90W computer as a 90W space heater.

This means that crunching in winter, depending on your setup, may be low cost or even free. If you have electric resistive heating in your home (space heaters, baseboards, ceiling/floor heat), it is equally efficient to heat your room with a computer or your thermostat. As long as your thermostat is turning on the heat regularly, you are not spending any money on crunching if you assume you'd have to pay for the heat anyways. Your thermostat just has to spend 90W less to get your space to the same temperature. There's even a tool to control BOINC based on room temperature.

If you have a heat pump/"reverse ac", that is much more efficient than electric resistive heat, so it's cheaper to heat your space that way than with a computer. Gas furnaces are also usually more cost effective per unit of heat. Nonetheless, using your computer to crunch does generate heat, just at a slightly higher cost. But it all depends on how much you value the scientific contributions you are making, I am happy to pay for example a 50% premium on $5 my electricity per month knowing it came from searching for a cure for cancer.

What about my internet connection? Will BOINC use all my capacity?

No. Each project is responsible for deciding how much bandwidth their workunits require, and they are all cognizant of people with bandwidth caps. Chances are you won't notice BOINC's impact at all. If you want to limit bandwidth usage, set BOINC to be allowed more disk space to store files (prevents having to re-download when switching projects). You can also set time of day restrictions and speed restrictions to avoid impacting other uses such as zoom. If you are an extremely limited bandwidth plan (like tethering to a cell phone), you may want to look into bandwidth requirements of your specific project.

What kind of hardware and OS should I use?

BOINC supports all major brands of CPUs and GPUs and Windows/Mac/Linux. Some projects even have special functionality for Apple's M1 chips. Linux is usually the most efficient, but getting drivers to work out of the box for GPUs can be quite difficult, though CPU crunching always runs fine. Generally speaking, the newer your hardware, the more you can crunch and the more efficiency per watt. GPUs are massively more efficient than CPUs, but not all types of problems lend themselves well to GPU processing and therefore not all projects have GPU workunits.

From a climate perspective, making hew hardware produces a lot of CO2 (and e-waste is a major problem) so there is an argument to be made that using old hardware is easier on the environment. But it all depends on where you draw the box.

What about Gridcoin, how can I get paid to crunch?

Gridcoin is a cryptocurrency which rewards people who crunch BOINC and has been around over a decade. If you collect Gridcoin, all of your energy usage still goes towards BOINC, and you earn some GRC along the way. You probably will not turn a profit from it (unless you are utilizing the waste heat), but you might break even, and at any rate it can help offset your electrical costs. If you are interested in learning more about Gridcoin, go to c/Gridcoin.

Anything else I should know about BOINC?

• The BOINC manager has an "advanced" view which is way more powerful and imo easier to use.
• You can join "teams" on BOINC and some projects regularly host competitions and "sprints" which can be quite fun to participate in.
• BOINC projects award credit for your work, but each project is responsible for determining how to award that credit. This means you cannot compare credit between different projects since the amount of work required to earn each credit may be vastly different. This is a surprisingly complicated problem to solve and won't be getting solved anytime soon.

I like donating my computational power, what else can I donate?

Many BOINC projects allow you to donate money on their website, you can also check out the SCI webstore for merch with the logos of your favourite BOINC projects. The proceeds benefit BOINC projects and BOINC development. You can also donate directly to the SCI to support BOINC development

You can donate your bandwidth to archiving the internet or helping users in countries with censored internet access the web. Or help seed dataset torrents for researchers at Academic Torrents.

You can also donate your brainpower with Zooniverse. Help train AI models for identifying galaxy's, monitor wildlife populations, and more.

There are also other projects similar to BOINC like Folding @ home and Dreamlab. Folding @ home uses your GPU/CPU for protein folding research (medical research) and Dreamlab uses your android phone for several scientific research realms.

If you have coding, design, or sysadmin skills, consider donating to BOINC itself or the various BOINC projects. New promotional materials for projects or BOINC in general are always welcome!