Charles Hoskinson is enthusiastic about injecting stem cells into himself and investing in bioluminescent plants. This article is based on Ben Weiss’s piece, “Why Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson became crypto’s patron of the weird and wild,” and is compiled, edited, and written by PANews.
(Background:
Cardano announced its transformation into a Bitcoin L2: integrating BitcoinOS to release $1.3 trillion in liquidity. Can ADA benefit?)
(Background Supplement:
Cardano founder criticizes: Ethereum is too authoritarian! Its development direction overly relies on Vitalik Buterin’s decisions; ADA is more democratic)
Table of Contents
“Challenges”
Advanced Projects
Bioluminescent Plants
Longevity Science
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of the Cardano blockchain, enjoys discussing cryptocurrencies. The 36-year-old billionaire also loves to talk about aliens. In 2023, he funded an expedition to Papua New Guinea to investigate whether interstellar objects could be alien-made, but the result was negative. He is also fond of talking endlessly about bison. He owns an 11,000-acre ranch in Wyoming, where he raises 600 of these gentle herbivores. In an interview, he explained: “You can’t treat bison like cattle. Bison need to roam.”
Part of Hoskinson’s family lineage traces back to Florence, Italy, and he jokingly claims a possible connection to the Medici family, a powerful banking dynasty that commissioned works from figures like Leonardo da Vinci. In other words, this crypto industry leader is a true “Renaissance man.”
While Hoskinson may not be a ruler of an Italian city-state, he certainly has a capital background. In 2017, he helped launch Cardano, a Layer 1 blockchain designed to challenge Ethereum, and he was also involved in founding Ethereum. Although Cardano is often labeled a “zombie chain” or compared to other Layer 1 blockchains like Ethereum or Solana with less on-chain activity, according to DefiLlama, Cardano (ADA) has a market capitalization of approximately $12.5 billion. (Note from PANews: Hoskinson recently stated in an interview that he has changed his stance on Bitcoin and announced that Cardano L1 will transition to Bitcoin L2.)
In June of this year, in response to comments regarding the blockchain’s disconnection from the real world, Hoskinson stated: “If we have to address the economic, political, and social problems that affect us all, it will be a tremendous force that will weigh down the entire industry.” Nevertheless, Hoskinson’s amateur investments have attracted the attention of some crypto users. Recently in Singapore, Hoskinson detailed what drives his diverse interests. He stated: “I just like solving problems.”
Other crypto founders have also spent vast sums supporting their “quirky” ventures. Another Ethereum co-founder, Gavin Wood, invested in his DJ career. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes purchased an aquarium filled with three blacktip reef sharks for his office at a crypto exchange in Hong Kong. Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu bought a violin that once belonged to Russian Empress Catherine the Great. However, Hoskinson, who owns a private jet and a Blackhawk helicopter and claims a net worth of approximately $1.2 billion, is a supporter of advanced projects.
“I’m friends with Steve Wolfram (computer scientist) and all these people. They always bring their most pressing issues, and when you collaborate with them, you can make those pressing issues your own.”
On a personal level, Hoskinson is not a superficial Silicon Valley tycoon but rather a friendly scholar. After growing up in Hawaii, he became one of the original eight co-founders of Ethereum in the early 2010s. Soon, his relationship with Vitalik Buterin, the primary architect of the blockchain network, became strained. Hoskinson hoped that Ethereum’s founders would establish a for-profit entity and accept venture capital, while Buterin wanted to maintain a non-profit organization.
Ethereum co-founder Hoskinson is funding longevity science research
In the latter half of 2014, Hoskinson left Ethereum, and the following year he co-founded Input Output (IOHK) with former colleague Jeremy Wood. IOHK is a general company engaged in all aspects of blockchain, with its most notable product being Cardano. It is also involved in several other projects, including the Cardano sidechain Midnight and the Cardano wallet Daedalus.
Hoskinson’s interests extend beyond cryptography or blockchain. He also enjoys bioluminescent plants. “If you want to tackle global warming or improve the environment, then engaging in plant genetic engineering makes sense.” He believes that specially engineered plants can not only produce organic lighting but also sequester carbon, eliminate toxic chemicals, and provide other environmental benefits. He showed a photo on his phone of himself smiling in the dark, holding a neon green plant. He believes that cultivating tobacco and Arabidopsis are some of the species his team has illuminated.
Although Hoskinson declined to elaborate on the biological mechanisms that make his plants glow, he did mention that his team is using a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR that utilizes enzyme editing. Hoskinson plans to publicly showcase these plants within a year. He also mentioned bioluminescent cannabis in biotechnology. “If it contains a large amount of THC, it emits red light,” he mused, noting that THC is the active ingredient in cannabis. “Just a little bit will emit green light.”
Hoskinson is also keen on injecting stem cells into himself, which are self-renewing cells that play a crucial role in medical research. Both his father and brother are doctors. Hoskinson invested $100 million to establish a health and wellness institution named Hoskinson in Gillette, Wyoming. He stated that the institution plans to commence its first research trial under the supervision of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next year.
Like many wealthy tech founders, Hoskinson is interested in longevity science. This research trial will evaluate the efficacy of stem cell injections combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves patients breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. “If my hypothesis is correct, we could reverse aging by more than ten years.” The first batch of trial subjects includes Hoskinson himself. “I’m getting fatter and older; it would be great to live longer and healthier.”
Doctors have extracted his stem cells, and his micro Hoskinson cells have begun to divide in his institution. Once the FDA approves the clinical trial, Hoskinson will begin receiving injections. But this is not the only medical project he has planned.
By next summer, he plans to expand his health center in Wyoming to 70,000 square feet, incorporating disciplines such as cardiology, radiology, and immunology. Additionally, like any great Medici family member, he will place “priceless art pieces” in the expanded clinic, including “four-dimensional objects,” inspired by Japanese legendary artist Yayoi Kusama’s “infinity room,” and a six-foot tall Godzilla-themed diorama.
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