Feb 24
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Episode 391. Aired on Feb 18, 2026 See full episode on https://zeroknowledge.fm/podcast/391/ 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 (https://ethproofs.org/) * lean Ethereum (https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/07/31/lean-ethereum) * Lean Consensus R&D Progress (https://leanroadmap.org/) * Poseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function (https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/323.pdf) * github.com/leanEthereum/leanSpec * github.com/leanEthereum/leanMultisig * Applications to speak at zkSummit14 are now open! Apply at www.zksummit.com Timecodes 0:00 Intro & Lean Ethereum Overview 2:10 What Is Lean Ethereum? (C-D-E Layers) 5:29 Post-Quantum Signatures & Why SNARKs 11:17 LeanVM Explained 14:43 Formal Verification & Proximity Gaps 19:56 Poseidon2 & Hash Function Security 24:17 Validator Scaling & Recursive Aggregation 28:47 Data Layer & Tera-Gas Vision 31:06 Roadmap, DevNet & Workshops 35:15 Closing Remarks -------------- **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree (https://linktr.ee/zeroknowledge) * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter (https://zeroknowledge.substack.com) * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm (https://twitter.com/zeroknowledgefm) * Join us on Telegram (https://t.me/+taXrPJIp_30zZTNi) * Catch us on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYWsYz5cKw4wZ9Mpe4kuM_g) **Support the show:** * Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/zeroknowledge) * ETH - Donation address (https://etherscan.io/address/0xE2C080047213C1d8cDf2099E0B07479C5D9cee8a) * BTC - Donation address (https://www.blockchain.com/explorer/addresses/btc/bc1q9mrh34n6mvses59r3hq9dz6j3vxm3tlwlg8ws2) * SOL - Donation address (https://explorer.solana.com/address/Eqfm4maSDUN3ikjDfSgDeJ1mh3iC8tr69eHB5iTHz35x) * ZEC - Donation address (https://mainnet.zcashexplorer.app/address/t1gmdc8jKj4EXfYnNvwkToZUahx78GrQ2zv)