In a nutshell Cosmos bills itself as a project that solves some of the “hardest problems” facing the blockchain industry. It aims to offer an antidote to “slow expensive unscalable and environmentally harmful” proof-of-work protocols like those used by Bitcoin by offering an ecosystem of connected blockchains.The project’s other goals include making blockchain technology less complex and difficult for developers thanks to a modular framework that demystifies decentralized apps. Last but not least an Interblockchain Communication protocol makes it easier for blockchain networks to communicate with each other — preventing fragmentation in the industry.Cosmos’ origins can be dated back to 2014 when Tendermint a core contributor to the network was founded. In 2016 a white paper for Cosmos was published — and a token sale was held the following year. ATOM tokens are earned through a hybrid proof-of-stake algorithm and they help to keep the Cosmos Hub the project’s flagship blockchain secure. This cryptocurrency also has a role in the network’s governance.