As the launch of Ethereum 2.0’s Beacon Chain draws near, developer Mikhail Kalinin has published a new proposal yesterday that aims to relieve the network of “unnecessary complexity” and helps merge the original Ethereum blockchain with the upcoming proof-of-stake version. The launch of Ethereum 2.0, currently scheduled for December 1, will begin with the deployment of the Beacon Chain—a separate (at least initially) chain that will introduce the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and will coordinate the expanded network of shards and stakers. Initially, both the proof-of-work ETH 1.0 and proof-of-stake ETH 2.0 will ... (full story)