Ethereum goes green
After a few delays, cryptocurrency Ethereum (second largest by value) has switched from proof-ofwork to proof-of-stake, ending the need for racks of systems to mine coins. Instead you ‘mint’ them, with each node rewarded when it validates a transaction. Power consumption has been reduced by 99 percent, but there has been a ‘hard fork’ on the blockchain, meaning traditional mining can continue. Bitcoin currently burns enough power to run Argentina, but the two systems aren’t synonymous. Bitcoin’s fans say it provides a genuine decentralized, secure, and democratic currency. However, criticisms—and legal obstacles—are growing. –CL