DeSci, an opportunity to decentralize scientific research and publication

For a long time, the spread of scientific research has been severely restricted by what can only be called inefficient intermediaries that have created a subculture that is supposedly based on prestige, in which publishers have managed to position themselves in a central role.

In practice, much of this culture is based on traditional ways of doing things that impact on access to research funds (with scientists obliged to spend half their time writing proposals), to the development of reputation systems that often shape the careers of researchers or the prestige of the institutions where they work, as well as providing the wrong incentives for them, while limiting access to scientific publications to people who can afford to pay expensive subscriptions.

Movements such as Open Science, which promotes open access to publications, have resulted in many journals now demanding significant payments from authors and the institutions they work for if they want their work to be kept available (over $11,000, for example, in the case of Nature).

Decentralized Science, or DeSci, is the scientific output application based on the decentralization principles of the so-called Web 3, which uses tools such as blockchain, DAOs, NFTs or smart contracts to solve real problems in the research…