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Researchers Demonstrate QuantumShield-BC Blockchain Framework

Researchers have developed QuantumShield-BC, a blockchain framework designed to resist attacks from quantum computers by integrating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) utilising algorithms such as Dilithium and SPHINCS+, quantum key distribution (QKD), and quantum Byzantine fault tolerance (Q-BFT) leveraging quantum random number generation (QRNG) for unbiased leader selection. The framework was tested on a controlled testbed with up to 100 nodes, demonstrating resistance to simulated quantum attacks and achieving fairness through QRNG-based consensus. An ablation study confirmed the contribution of each quantum component to overall security, although the QKD implementation was simulated and scalability to larger networks requires further investigation.

Abacus dark web drug market goes offline in suspected exit scam

Abacus Market, the largest Western darknet marketplace supporting Bitcoin payments, has shut down its public infrastructure in a move suspected to be an exit scam.

Exit scams occur when the operator of a marketplace decides to vanish with the money they hold in escrow for various transactions between platform users.

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reports that Abacus shutting down so abruptly has all the indications of either an exit scam or a covert law enforcement operation dismantling the activity.

From Blockchain to Brainwaves: Coinbase Co-Founder Fred Ehrsam Enters the Neurotech Race with Non-Invasive BCI Startup Nudge

Fred Ehrsam, billionaire co-founder of Coinbase, is shifting his next big bet from cryptocurrency to the human brain, unveiling a non-invasive brain-computer interface designed to modulate brain activity with sound waves.

Ehrsam’s entry as the latest competitor to join the race to develop accessible brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) follows similar recent efforts from tech leaders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates.

On April 8, Ehrsam’s startup, Nudge, unveiled its first product, the Nudge Zero. A noninvasive brain interface device that uses ultrasound to modulate brain activity, the technology represents the first start-up venture to pursue this unique approach with BCI technology.

Mathematicians Uncover Hidden Patterns Behind $3.5 Billion Cryptocurrency Collapse

A recent study published in ACM Transactions on the Web by researchers at Queen Mary University of London sheds new light on one of the most significant collapses in cryptocurrency history: the crash of the TerraUSD stablecoin and its sister token, LUNA. The research team uncovered evidence of suspicious, large-scale trading activity that may point to a coordinated effort to destabilize the ecosystem, triggering a rapid $3.5 billion loss in market value.

Led by Dr. Richard Clegg, the study uses temporal multilayer graph analysis, an advanced method for tracking dynamic and interconnected systems over time. By applying this technique to transaction data from the Ethereum blockchain, the researchers were able to trace complex relationships between cryptocurrencies and pinpoint how TerraUSD was systematically undermined through a series of calculated trades.

Stablecoins like TerraUSD are designed to maintain a steady value, typically pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar. However, in May 2022, TerraUSD and its sister currency, LUNA, experienced a catastrophic collapse. Dr. Clegg’s research sheds light on how this happened, uncovering evidence of a coordinated attack by traders who were betting against the system, a practice known as “shorting.”

Mathematicians uncover the hidden patterns behind a $3.5 billion cryptocurrency collapse

In a new study published in ACM Transactions on the Web, researchers from Queen Mary University of London have unveiled the intricate mechanisms behind one of the most dramatic collapses in the cryptocurrency world: the downfall of the TerraUSD stablecoin and its associated currency, LUNA. Using advanced mathematical techniques and cutting-edge software, the team has identified suspicious trading patterns that suggest a coordinated attack on the ecosystem, leading to a catastrophic loss of $3.5 billion in value virtually overnight.

The study, led by Dr. Richard Clegg and his team, employs temporal multilayer graph analysis—a sophisticated method for examining complex, interconnected systems over time. This approach allowed the researchers to map the relationships between different cryptocurrencies traded on the Ethereum blockchain, revealing how the TerraUSD stablecoin was destabilized by a series of deliberate, large-scale trades.

Stablecoins like TerraUSD are designed to maintain a steady value, typically pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar. However, in May 2022, TerraUSD and its sister currency, LUNA, experienced a catastrophic collapse. Dr. Clegg’s research sheds light on how this happened, uncovering evidence of a coordinated attack by traders who were betting against the system, a practice known as “shorting.”

Web3 Is The Home For Autonomous Consumer AI Agents

AI agents need two things to succeed in this space: infinite scalability and the ability to connect agents from different blockchains. Without the former, agents do not have infrastructure with sufficient capacity to transact. Without the latter, agents would be off on their own island blockchains, unable to truly connect with each other. As agent actions become more complex on chain, more of their data will also have to live on the ledger, making optimizing for both of these factors important right now.

Because of all of this, I believe the next frontier of AI agents on blockchains is in gaming, where their training in immersive worlds will inevitably lead to more agentic behavior crossing over to non-gaming consumer spaces.

If the future of autonomous consumer AI agents sounds scary, it is because we have not yet had a way to independently verify LLM training models or the actions of AI agents so far. Blockchain provides the necessary transparency and transaction security so that this inevitable phenomenon can operate on safer rails. I believe the final home for these AI agents will be Web3.

Japanese Scientist Develops ‘Living’ Skin For Robots! #shorts

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GM. Nothing here is financial advice, dyor. These are NFT Projects I am currently interested in. What is an NFT? A NFT is a non-fungible token that is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on the blockchain, which is a form of digital ledger. The most common one is bitcoin, a cryptocurrency. NFTs can be digital files such as photos, videos or audio. Although we like NFTs such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, Doodles, CryptoPunks, Cool Cats, and VeeFriends…The NFTs we are mainly interested in have certain utility or membership tied to them. #Shorts

Distinct subcellular localization of tau and alpha-synuclein in lewy body disease

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and PD dementia (PDD) are neurodegenerative syndromes that are characterized neuropathologically by Lewy body disease (LBD), including Lewy bodies in neuronal somata and Lewy neurites in axons or dendrites. Intraneuronal aggregates of tau called neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) classically are associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet NFTs often are observed with LBD as well [40]. PDD patients have a higher burden of NFTs in the cortex compared to PD patients without dementia, and cortical tau aggregates correlate with cognitive impairment severity [15, 21, 22]. Mouse models of LBD implicate an α-syn-tau interaction. In mice overexpressing A53T mutant human α-syn, knocking out tau or using antibodies targeting oligomeric tau reverses memory impairments [19, 39]. Thus, the presence of both Lewy and tau pathology may contribute to cognitive symptoms from LBD.

Endogenous tau and α-synuclein colocalize and associate in neurons [42], suggesting that co-pathology may arise from synergistic interactions. Indeed, in vitro experiments show that tau’s microtubule binding domain also binds the C-terminus of α-syn, resulting in the fibrillization and aggregation of both proteins [17, 20]. In addition, human postmortem studies report colocalization between tau and synuclein using various antibody combinations. LBD colocalizes with tau in brainstem Sect. [2], hippocampus [3], entorhinal cortex [23], frontal cortex [38], amygdala [37, 43], and olfactory bulb [18]. One study quantified the number of double-positive neurons across hippocampal structures and determined the subiculum and pre-CA1 neurons had the highest proportion for double-positivity with a range of 1–13% across 5 subjects, as assessed by examining neuronal somata [24]. In another study that focused on brainstem Lewy bodies, as many as a third of Lewy bodies in the medulla were immunoreactive for phosphorylated tau, but a relationship between tau and α-syn immunoreactivity within abundant Lewy neurites has not been examined [25]. In addition, many of the studies showing overlap of α-syn and tau pathology are qualitative or relied on counting colocalization by eye in single images rather than quantifying colocalization over a larger area within the tissue.

Investigating overlap of pathologic α-syn and tau in structures including neurites is important because synaptic and axonal dysfunction are earlier pathophysiologic events in LBD than the formation of Lewy bodies, and cortical and limbic regions affected by α-synucleinopathy show more abundant Lewy neurites than Lewy bodies. We examined postmortem middle temporal gyrus cortex from human brains with confirmed LBD using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. We first quantified the degree of abnormal forms of α-syn and tau as well as immunologic markers for this region, showing an association of disease markers with the neuropathological diagnosis of LBD, demonstrating these cases recapitulate prior findings from the literature. We then measured colocalization of pathologic α-syn with phosphorylated tau, and an early pathologic form of tau.

Programmable Matter: Giving Physical Objects Digital Capabilities

Stefanie Mueller is a prominent computer scientist and associate professor at CSAIL and EECS, MIT. Known for her research in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and digital fabrication. Her work focuses on designing and developing novel interactive systems and fabrication techniques that enable users to create personalized and customizable physical objects, advancing the field of HCI and bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

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The World’s Worst Financial Catastrophe Could Happen Soon

On the positive side, some human entrepreneurs could become very wealthy, possibly trillionaires if they could tap into these AI’s wealth somehow. Additionally, super rich AIs could be a solution to the United States’ growing debt crisis, and eliminate the need for whether countries like China can continue to buy our debt so we can indefinitely print dollars. In fact, can America launch its own AI agents to create enough crypto wealth to buy its debt?

Naturally, the risk is that these AIs might eventually try to buy other financial instruments, like existing bonds and stocks. But it’s unlikely they’d be able to do so, unless more of the U.S.’ economy went into crypto and became blockchain based. Additionally, AI bots aren’t allowed to have traditional bank accounts yet.

Whatever happens, clearly there is an urgent need for the U.S. government to address such potentialities. Given that these AIs could start to proliferate in the next few months, I suggest Congress and the Trump administration immediately convene a special task force to specifically tackle the possibility of an AI Monetary Hegemony.

The real danger is that even with regulation, programmers will still be able to release autonomous AIs into the wild—just as many illegal things already happen on the web despite the existence of laws. Programmers might release these types of AIs for kicks, while others try to profit from it—and some may even do so even as a form of terrorism to try to hamper the world economy. Whatever the reason, the creation of autonomous AIs will soon be a reality of life. And vigilance and foresight will be needed as these new AIs start to autonomously disrupt our financial future.

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