Ethereum’s ninth shadow fork went live as the network continues to test its imminent transition from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus model. In preparation for Ethereum’s merge with the proof-of-stake Beacon Chain to complete the transition, it has been undergoing a series of test forks that copy the data from the main network to a test environment network (testnet). During this ninth shadow fork, developers focused primarily on testing the MEV (maximal extractable value) boost feature, which will affect how network validators might earn yield on a proof-of-stake network. The shadow fork brings the project one step closer to Ethereum's mainnet upgrade later this year. The third and final testnet merge, Goerli, is expected to happen next month.
