Zero Knowledge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh8hbz1nqxQ

In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Benedikt Wagner and Dmitry Khovratovich, cryptography researchers at the Ethereum Foundation, for the second instalment of the lean Ethereum miniseries. They explore leanSig, a hash-based multi-signature scheme designed as a post-quantum replacement for BLS in Ethereum consensus.

The conversation walks through how one-time signatures and Merkle trees can be combined to support long-lived validators, and why SNARK-based aggregation is needed in a post-quantum setting. The talk touches on key tradeoffs like signature size versus verification speed, encoding challenges behind their At the Top of the Hypercube work, and the role of Poseidon as the core hash function.
Related Links

lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drake
lean Ethereum
Lean Consensus R&D Progress
leanSig Implementation
Poseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function
At the Top of the Hypercube – Better Size-Time Tradeoffs for Hash-Based Signatures
Hash-Based Multi-Signatures for Post-Quantum Ethereum
Technical Note: LeanSig for Post-Quantum Ethereum
Aborting Random Oracles: How to Build them, How to Use them
The Billion Dollar Merkle Tree 
Poseidon: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof Systems
Poseidon Cryptanalysis Initiative








Applications to speak at zkSummit14 are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com



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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dad2UonQ9Ag&feature=youtu.be

In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt sits down with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation to kick off a miniseries on lean Ethereum, a bold vision to rethink Ethereum’s consensus, data, and execution layers. Justin outlines how post-quantum cryptography, faster finality, and enshrined zkEVMs fit together into a cohesive redesign. At the heart of it is leanVM, an ultra-minimal zkVM built to aggregate hash-based signatures and recursively verify proofs, potentially turning post-quantum migration into a scalability win.

They also explore formal verification efforts, the shift from conjectured to provable proximity gaps, Poseidon2 as a hash candidate, and how this work could set a post-quantum standard not just for Ethereum, but for other blockchains as well.

This episode sets the stage for deeper dives in coming episodes.
Related Links

Ethproofs
lean Ethereum
Lean Consensus R&D Progress
Poseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function
github.com/leanEthereum/leanSpec
github.com/leanEthereum/leanMultisig








Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com

zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.







**If you like what we do:**

* Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree
* Subscribe to our podcast newsletter
* Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm
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lean Ethereum Miniseries Kick-off with Anna & Nico

18/02/2026 | 9 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbskOlf7oA0



In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt kick-off a new six-part video miniseries exploring lean Ethereum. Lean Ethereum is a proposal initiated by the EF that weaves zero-knowledge cryptography and post-quantum upgrades throughout Ethereum’s stack. They discuss why the topic deserves a deeper series, what listeners can expect from upcoming episodes, and how this new video-first format will differ from the podcast’s usual style.

The conversation previews key themes like hash-based signatures, formal verification, proximity gaps, and the broader goal of future-proofing blockchain protocols with minimal cryptographic assumptions. They also share details about the upcoming zkSummit14 and how the community can get involved.
Related Links

Ethproofs
lean Ethereum
Lean Consensus R&D Progress
Poseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function








Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com



zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.







**If you like what we do:**

* Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree
* Subscribe to our podcast newsletter
* Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm
* Join us on Telegram
* Catch us on YouTube



**Support the show:**

* Patreon
* ETH - Donation address
* BTC - Donation address
* SOL - Donation...

There’s no full-length episode this week, but we wanted to highlighting a new bonus segment available exclusively to zkMesh+ subscribers. In this, we revisit last week’s conversation with Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland. 

Ian dives deeper into:
The renewed cultural focus on privacy
The evolving narrative around Zcash
His recent research on reducing nullifier state growth without relying on traditional pruning


Join zkMesh+ as a paid subscriber to get access to this and all our extra members-only perks. https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

We return next week with a 6-part series on Lean Ethereum… stay tuned!

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt welcome back Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, to continue the conversation from a previous episode and dig deeper into his latest work like zk-Promises, zk-Cookies, and Cryptographic Personas. These ZK tools aim to build social networks that protect user privacy while maintaining integrity, like anonymous moderation and reputation systems without central databases. Ian explains how they differ from traditional creds but share ideas around proving attributes securely.

The conversation explores real-world applications, such as banning bad actors without de-anonymizing them, setting rules in private group chats, and creating self-sovereign identities that persist over time. Ian also touches on challenges like stolen accounts, trolling, age checks, and how these primitives could shape future online interactions.


Related Links

Ian Miers: Academic profile and publications
zk-creds: Flexible Anonymous Credentials from zkSNARKs and Existing Identity Infrastructure
zk-promises: Anonymous Moderation, Reputation, and Blocking from Anonymous Credentials with Callbacks
zk-Cookies: Continuous Anonymous Authentication for the Web
Cryptographic Personas: Responsible Pseudonyms Without De-Anonymization
Zexe: Enabling Decentralized Private Computation
Zerocoin to zk-creds: Modern ZK History with Ian Miers








zkMesh+ is live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report.







**If you like what we do:**

* Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree
* Subscribe to our podcast newsletter
* Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm
* Join us on Telegram
* Catch us on