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Editorial
. 2020 Jun 3;7(6):200168.
doi: 10.1098/rsos.200168. eCollection 2020 Jun.

An overview of blockchain science and engineering

Ghassan Karame  1 , Michael Huth  2 , Claire Vishik  3
Affiliations
Editorial

An overview of blockchain science and engineering

Ghassan Karame et al. R Soc Open Sci. .

Abstract

This is the preface to a special issue in the journal Royal Society Open Science, themed around blockchain technology. Since this is still an emergent and interdisciplinary field, we first provide a gentle introduction into that larger topic. Then, we discuss why this technology has been criticized for not being energy-efficient. Next, we provide an analysis of recent developments in blockchain research that may help with making blockchain technology truly sustainable. Finally, we highlight some of the contributions made by papers in this special issue.

Keywords: cryptography; distributed systems; networks; trusted computing.

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Conflict of interest statement

For reasons of transparency, we mention that Michael Huth is also CTO of the company XAIN (xain.io) but co-authored this preface and co-edited this special issue in his role as Professor at Imperial College London.

References

    1. Karame G, Androulaki E. 2016. Bitcoin and blockchain security. Boston, MA: Artech House.
    1. Narayanan A, Bonneau J, Felten E, Miller A, Goldfeder S. 2016. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies: a comprehensive introduction. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
    1. Popov S. 2018. The Tangle. 30 April 2018, IOTA Foundation.
    1. Baird L, Harmon M, Madsen P. 2019. Hedera: A Public Hashgraph Network & Governing Council. 29 August 2019, Hedera Hashgraph.
    1. ISO/TC 307. 2019. Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies – Overview of and interactions between smart contracts in blockchain and distributed ledger technology systems. Technical Report ISO/TR 23455:2019.

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