Ethereum Validator Entry Queue Signals Renewed Interest in Staking
The validator entry queue has jumped to 7,045, the highest since Oct. 6, according to data source ValidatorQueue.

Ethereum Has Gatekeepers (for Good Reason)
A new, non-standard token standard called ERC-404 circumvented the usual governance process and is capitalizing on a term with an actual definition.

What Is ERC-404? The Experimental Standard Whose First Token Has Rocketed 12,000% in One Week
ERC-404 allows multiple wallets to directly own a single NFT and, in the future, create a use case where that specific exposure can be tokenized and used to take out loans or stake holdings.

Polygon Releases 'Type 1 Prover,' Claiming Milestone Set by Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin
The announcement means that existing EVM chains or optimistic rollups can connect to the prover without modification, then plug into Polygon’s newly released Aggregation layer, providing access to "all of the liquidity and value on Ethereum itself,” Polygon said.

Ethereum Developers Target March 13 for Milestone 'Dencun' Upgrade on Mainnet
The timing for the long-awaited Dencun upgrade, with its much-touted "proto-danksharding" feature, was announced Thursday on a call with top developers for the Ethereum blockchain.

Protocol Village: Metis, Ethereum Layer 2, Launches 'Liquid Staking Blitz'
The latest in blockchain tech upgrades, funding announcements and deals. For the period of Feb. 1-7.

The Protocol: Solana's Missed Moment, Exclusive Farcaster Q&A, Bullish Year of Dragon
Even in a slow week ahead of the Chinese New Year, there's a lot of crypto news to cover. Here's this week's The Protocol, CoinDesk's weekly newsletter devoted to blockchain tech.

'Absolute Essentials of Ethereum' by Paul Dylan-Ennis: An Excerpt
How does on-chain and off-chain governance work in Ethereum?

Farcaster's Dan Romero Explains How 'Frames' Did What X (Twitter) Doesn't
The decentralized social network Farcaster is enjoying a breakout after last week's introduction of "Frames" – a new feature that could attract attention from developers and, eventually, mainstream users. CoinDesk's Jenn Sanasie sat down with co-founder Dan Romero in an exclusive interview.
