Episode 40 - Cryptocurrency

Breaking Bad Science

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Trying to draw a similarity between a hitman, miners, and paying $590 million for 2 pizzas sounds like some sort of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon weirdness, but it turns out it's not really that hard. The cornerstone here, the Kevin Bacon if you will, is Bitcoin, which is....Currency, but not, you know, kind of like when we went from having gold, furs, salt, and goods to trade to using coins and paper. Except in this case with no tangibility. So what is it? Why does it exist and how is it being used? Most importantly, how is it shaping our future?

References

1. Hong, E.; How Does Bitcoin Mining Work. Investopedia. 01-Mar-2021. https://www.investopedia.com/tech/how-does-bitcoin-mining-work/
2. Kharif, O.; Man Who Spent $446 Million on Pizza Has Advice for Tesla Fans. Bloomberg. 10-Feb-2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-02-10/who-bought-pizza-with-bitcoin-he-has-some-advice-for-tesla-fans
3. Ongweso, E.; The Bizarre Tale of a Wisconsin Woman Who Tried to Hire a Hitman with Bitcoin. Vice. 09-Feb-2021. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdwj7/the-bizarre-tale-of-a-wisconsin-woman-who-tried-to-hire-a-hitman-with-bitcoin

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