Author: Caitlin Carey

Caitlin is a crypto evangelist with a deep curiosity and passion for learning and writing about everything to do with cryptocurrency. She has a background as a performing artist and songwriter and is a digital media enthusiast, with a bachelor degree in Multimedia.

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Blockchain Crypto News Cryptocurrencies

Could Blockchain Be Used to Achieve 120-Year Human Lifespan?

The Swiss-based Longevity Science Foundation has announced its plans to commit more than US$1 billion in funding to blockchain and tech-based projects over the next 10 years to support research into extending the human lifespan to at least 120 years.

The projects funded will focus on advancing human longevity through the development of healthy medicines and tech. The foundation will zero in on four specific areas:

  • Therapeutics
  • Personalised medicine
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Predictive diagnostics

Five-Year Target From Concept to Reality

The Longevity Science Foundation enables the rapid acceleration of basic science of human longevity and its translation towards human trials and clinical practice. In five years, healthy longevity will not only exist as a lab-proven concept, but will become part of everyone’s life.

Andrea B. Maier, member of the Visionary Board and co-director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University of Singapore

The foundation will seek donations in cryptocurrencies and investors will earn decision-making power as to which projects receive funding.

Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, a Russian AI and ageing expert well-known for his work on longevity, will sit on the Visionary Board of the Foundation. He is also an adviser to Longenesis (a blockchain medical data marketplace, which partnered with the Bitfury Group to launch a blockchain-based content management system for the healthcare industry).

Other researchers on the board are Swiss-based internal medicine specialist Evelyne Bischof, German gerontologist Andrea B. Maier, Eric Verdin, a Belgian expert on ageing, metabolism, nutrition and epigenetics, and American biologist Matt Kaeberlein.

AI and the Blockchain Will Be Principal Research Tools

Through the foundation, world leaders in healthcare research will use AI and the blockchain to access a global database of hospital information for analysis.

Applying theoretical longevity concepts to real-world use is a primary goal for the foundation, which aims to transform technological advances into clinical treatments and solutions.

By identifying and funding the most promising and cutting-edge advances, the foundation seeks to address one of the most pressing issues in science … understanding longevity-focused treatment.

Longevity Science Foundation announcement
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Blockchain Crypto News NFTs Social media

Twitter NFT Profile Pictures to be Verified Using New Blockchain Tool

Twitter has become the most popular tool for crypto enthusiasts to share information and build communities. The latest in-development feature will be the implementation of a profile verification tool for users who want to display their NFTs as their profile picture.

To display your NFT for your Twitter profile picture, choose “Select NFT” and connect your digital wallet from Metamask, or some other wallet. After selecting the NFT you want as your profile picture, a checkmark verifying the blockchain of the NFT will appear. Also coming is a “Collectible” menu option, which will allow users to display a collection of their NFTs on their Twitter profile.

These new NFT integrations were announced after the launch of Twitter’s Bitcoin Tipping feature on September 23, although no specific details have been released as to when they will be rolled out.

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Blockchain Crypto News Gaming NFTs

SimCity Creator Launches NFT Game Turning Players into Co-Creators

Proxi by Gallium Studios is Will Wright’s new video game where community-created NFTs turn players into co-creators. The SimCity and Spore creator says he thinks of it less as a game than an educational toy.

Proxi is a blockchain-based artificial intelligence-driven game that utilises NFT technology. The user/creator-modelled game gets inside players’ minds to build the community. As Wright explains, “I want the player’s mind to become the landscape of the game.”

The ultimate goal behind the game is to build avatars, modelled on the player’s own subconscious and memories, that can interact with other Proxis (friends, family, or even a fictitious or historic proxy – one modelled on Albert Einstein, for example).

How Does It Work?

Building the Proxi starts with the Memory Maker, a fun to use, simple editor where players can create memories from their lives by inserting photographs, audio, 3D objects, etc. These memory “crystal balls” can then be placed within the game’s landscape and are organised to interconnect with each other. A map is created for how players think, and the memory globes can be tagged with keywords to help make associations.

Ownership of Assets Using NFTs

Through the creation of in-game assets, users retain copyright ownership through using NFT smart contracts as a tool. If a user builds an asset based on somebody else’s creation, for example, the original creator of that collection is rewarded by maintaining an ownership share of that content.

At every stage, we can keep track of who created every piece of the asset or the collection and return that credit back to the creator. So I think that’s going to be a huge step towards getting people motivated to put their creative energies into helping us build this game.

Will Wright, Proxi creator

Gallium Studios has partnered with NFT gaming platform Forte to process the blockchain integration and NFT functionality of the game. Watch the full interview video below, in which Wright explains the Proxi ecosystem:

NFT gaming is becoming hugely popular as in-game items and digital assets are broadly moving to the blockchain. Earlier this month, Australian-based NFT games platform Immutable raised US$60 million in its latest funding round. Earlier in September, the Solana (SOL) ecosystem announced it would host three new NFT games on its blockchain where players can compete and trade with NFTs.

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Bitcoin Crime Crypto Hardware Wallets Crypto Wallets

UK Student Bitcoin Mugging Highlights Importance of Multisig Wallets

A student starting at England’s University of Kent last year was threatened at knifepoint in the first week of term after his new “friend” and eight East London thugs paid a visit to his on-campus dorm room and demanded access to his bitcoin.

The amount stolen by the criminals was worth around £6,000 (US$8,200) at the time (12 months ago) but is now worth around US$93,000 as the price of bitcoin has risen. Another £3,000 (US$4000) of the student’s grant money was also stolen. The suspects were never charged.

This story should come as a warning not to disclose your crypto holdings to people you don’t know. Violent crimes targeting bitcoin theft are becoming increasingly common and with the cryptocurrency economy rising significantly over the past year, crypto robberies are also on the rise. Do not trust even your next Tinder date, as he or she could be a potential threat to your crypto holdings if you aren’t careful.

Keeping digital assets in mobile or hot wallets come with significant risk. If you are bullied or tricked into giving up your wallet keys, it is very difficult to recover your money.

Multisig Wallet Benefits

By using technology such as a Casa multisig wallet, crypto holders can significantly reduce the risk of losing control over their funds. Attackers cannot spend stolen funds if they don’t have all of the client’s different keys to gain full access to the compromised wallet.

Learn more about Casa’s multisig bitcoin wallet in this video:

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Crypto News DeFi eToro Investing

eToro Launches Top DeFi Index to Help Customers ‘Spread the Risk’

Copy trading service eToro now offers investors an easy way to diversify their cryptocurrency holdings without having to spend hours on research by offering an out-of-the-box style top-performing DeFi portfolio.

The DeFi portfolio eToro has created includes 11 DeFi crypto assets including Ethereum (ETH), Uniswap (UNI), Chainlink (LINK), Aave (AAVE), Compound (COMP), Yearn.finance (YFI), Decentraland (MANA), Polygon (MATIC), Algorand (ALGO), Basic Attention Token (BAT), and Maker (MKR).

DeFi is one of the most talked-about innovations in finance, with thousands of new crypto assets emerging in recent months. But for people who don’t have the time to research every asset’s whitepaper, the market may seem like a minefield. By packaging up a selection of crypto assets in a DeFi CopyPortfolio, we’re doing the heavy lifting and enabling our customers to gain exposure and spread the risk across a variety of cryptos.

Dani Brinker, head of portfolio investments, eToro.com

eToro’s @DeFiPortfolio CopyPortfolio is available now for a minimum investment of US$1,000. Users can follow developments in the DeFi sector through eToro’s social network and also track their portfolio’s performance and keep up-to-date with access to charts and other tools.

Cryptocurrencies Available on eToro

Crypto News Australia recently reported the 29 new cryptos now available for trading on eToro Australia. They are: BTC, ETH, BCH, XRP, DASH, LTC, ETC, ADA, MIOTA, XML, EOS, NEO, TRX, ZEC, BNB, XTZ, MKR, COMP, LINK, UNI, YFI, DOGE, AAVE, ALGO, MANA, ENJ, BAT, MATIC, FLR and SHIB.

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Blockchain Crypto News Ethereum NFTs Solana

Katy Perry Invests in $5 Million Funding Round for Decentralised Spotify Rival Audius

Katy Perry, along with other music superstars including Nas, Jason Derulo, Pusha T, the Chainsmokers and Steve Aoki, is the latest investor in crypto-powered music streaming platform Audius.

Audius is a music streaming app, like Spotify or SoundCloud, built on the blockchain and unique as it is the first truly decentralised music platform. The protocol was originally developed on POA (Proof of Authority) Network, an Ethereum sidechain, and has now moved parts of its service to include the Solana blockchain. Developers can build their own apps on top of Audius, giving them access to an exclusive audio catalogue.

Blockchain-Powered Music for Artists

Audius is giving power back to artists, offering a decentralised network model where users can upload their songs directly to the platform and even earn $AUDIO crypto token rewards for using the network. With six million monthly active users, Audius is an open-source community-owned and operated protocol that aims to give artists full control over how their music is monetised online and also enables them to connect directly with fans.

Social Media and NFT Integration

Audius is the first to offer integration with TikTok, allowing artists to share their songs with TikTok users to stream in their viral videos. Audius also offers NFT features, allowing musicians to showcase their own NFT collectibles to fans. It is a powerful tool that allows artists full control and ownership of their copyrighted musical works. No wonder the musicians themselves are excited to support this new music business model.

“Everyone who uploads to Audius can be an owner; you can’t say that about any other platform,” says rapper/entrepreneur Nas.

You can check out more about Audius here.

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ATM Bitcoin Bitcoin ATMs Crypto News Regulation

Bitcoin ATM Burned in El Salvador Amid Anti-Government Protests

A bitcoin ATM was burned and defaced with anti-BTC messages that read “democracy is not for sale” as protesters demonstrated resistance towards El Salvador’s pro-crypto President Nayib Bukele.

Protesters destroyed the Chivo machine in the Plaza Gerardo Barrios, located in the nation’s capital city centre. The government has installed 200 BATMs throughout the country as part of the reform to allow bitcoin as legal tender as El Salvador implemented the Central American republic’s Bitcoin Law on September 7.

Thousands of pro-democracy Salvadoreans took to the streets to protest against the government’s acceptance of cryptocurrency. The September 15 demonstration coincided with the bicentenary of El Salvadorean independence.

Protesters marched through the central square in San Salvador holding placards reading “Respect the Constitution” and “No to Bitcoin”, denouncing a perceived dictatorship.

Last month, protesters gathered to oppose the Bitcoin Law outside the capital’s Legislative Assembly Building, claiming the legislation only facilitates money laundering and corruption.

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Crypto Memes Crypto News Dogecoin Ethereum NFTs

Demand for Fractionalised NFTs Grows as Doge Meme Valuation Exceeds $300 Million

The Shiba Inu named Kabosu is not only the most popular dog on the planet, it’s been immortalised on the blockchain as the face of Dogecoin – now up for sale in pieces as a fractionalised NFT.

In June 2021, Kabosu’s owner, Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato, minted the famous photograph as an NFT. The image (above) of her pet dog went viral, after unknowingly becoming the mascot for $DOGE – the cryptocurrency that started mass meme coin mania and whose valuation is now over US$300 million.

The NFT, aptly named Doge, was sold recently for a record-breaking price of 1696.9 ETH (over US$5.5 million) to investment collective PleasrDAO on August 31.

PleasrDAO is now offering up the NFT in parts to the broader Dogecoin community by fractionalising it into billions of pieces using fractional.art. The Doge NFT is now available for purchase in the form of $DOGE ERC-20 tokens, allowing for multiple owners.

First Auction Generates US$45 Million

The first auction of $DOGE took place on September 1 on miso.sushi.com, raising a total of 11,942 Wrapped Ethereum (worth more than US$45 million) from 1,796 buyers, according to figures from MISO.

Fractionalisation of an NFT allows owners to mint ERC-20 tokens. Unlike NFTs, which usually apply Ethereum’s ERC-721 token standard, the ERC-20 tokens are fungible and can be traded, sent and received on smart contracts running on the Ethereum blockchain. $DOGE is now available to exchange on fractional.art or on decentralised exchanges Sushi or Uniswap.

Ownership of the Doge NFT provides access to an exclusive set of activities brought to you directly by the Doge community. For more details, visit the Doge Discord.

Top “blue chip” NFTs have become insanely expensive and are now out of reach for many collectors as prices have gone through the roof: CryptoPunks, for example, recently hit US$1 billion in sales. CryptoPunk #543 has also been chopped up and sold as a fractionalised NFT, going for $1 per share.

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Cryptocurrencies DeFi Ethereum NFTs

ETH Soars 20% Amid Thriving NFT and DeFi Sectors

We are officially off to the races again as ETH leads the charge in a strong bullish ascent back up towards previous all-time highs after a month of sideways action. In the past week alone, ETH is up over 20 percent, reaching A$5,120 at the time of publication.

Source: Coinjar

Ethereum has now beaten bitcoin’s price action for three months straight. The King of Crypto has struggled to break through the key psychological resistance level of US$50,000, while Ethereum is picking up the pace, rising by 50 percent in the last month.

ETH has climbed over 380 percent so far in 2021, with gains largely attributed to the booming DeFi and NFT sectors. Bitcoin, however, has only managed to gain 62 percent so far this year against the USD. 

Here Comes DeFi Summer 2.0

Market activity and token prices are surging as altcoins, especially in DeFi, look to the upside and we welcome the announcement of DeFi Summer 2.0.

There used to be just bitcoin and altcoins. Now you’ve got bitcoin, altcoins, DeFi, NFTs, all these different things, and then within those you’ve got subcategories of gaming NFTs, JPG NFTs, collections of NFTs and real world NFTs. There are so many different things within crypto…and basically all the money does between all these different things is shift.

@ThatMartiniGuy, YouTube

Calling ‘Alt Season’

Traditionally when Ethereum breaks and Bitcoin dominance drops, money in the market flows into other cryptocurrencies. That is exactly what is starting happen as mid-caps begin to surge. The likes of Cardano, Solana, Polkadot and Kusama have all been performing exceedingly well as the sea begins to rise once again.

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Crypto Exchange Crypto News Crypto Wallets Cryptocurrencies Gemini Trading

Crypto-Friendly Browser Brave Integrates Gemini Wallet Support

Gemini and Brave have partnered to make it easier for users to buy, sell, store and earn crypto when using the Brave browser. Together they are building a user-centric internet with the power of crypto.

The Gemini Trading Widget is now available in Brave’s Nightly version (the browser’s testing and development version of Brave) and will go live in Brave’s general release in coming weeks. This integration will allow Brave users to engage with crypto via the new Gemini Trading Widget in a simple and secure manner.

With the Brave browser’s Gemini Trading Widget, users can easily trade any crypto asset listed on the Gemini exchange without having to leave the browser. The Brave browser blocks ads and trackers and other identifying software used by websites to monitor visitors, thus providing a much faster (3-6x) and more private internet experience.

Brave also rewards users for participating: users can earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) by opting in to view privacy-preserving Brave ads and online creators can earn BAT with Brave Rewards through publishing online content.

Controlling Your Online Privacy

Brave has been praised as the browser of choice for those looking for more privacy and better security. An alternative browser such as Google Chrome individually identifies and constantly tracks users as they browse, installing cookies and gathering all sorts of private information, including keeping records of your browsing history. By using Brave, your data remains private and on your device – making it the browser of choice for many crypto enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, Gemini has lately become a leader in the Asia Pacific crypto landscape, as Crypto News Australia reported in July, which can only help consolidate its new partnership with Brave.