Proof-of-Work is the consensus mechanism employed by Bitcoin, where miners compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain.

Proof-of-Work serves as a security mechanism in blockchain networks by requiring miners to expend computational power to validate transactions, making it difficult for malicious actors to attack the network.

Miners who successfully validate a block in a Proof-of-Work blockchain are rewarded with newly minted cryptocurrency, incentivizing them to participate in the network and maintain its security.

Proof-of-Work blockchains are often criticized for their high energy consumption and limited scalability, as the computational requirements for mining increase with the growth of the network.

In Proof-of-Stake blockchains, validators are selected to validate transactions based on the amount of cryptocurrency they stake, rather than solving cryptographic puzzles as in Proof-of-Work.

Proof-of-Stake blockchains consume significantly less energy compared to Proof-of-Work, as there is no need for intensive computational power to validate transactions.

In Proof-of-Stake blockchains, validators are primarily rewarded with transaction fees for validating blocks, rather than receiving newly minted cryptocurrency as in Proof-of-Work.

Lower energy consumption is an advantage of Proof-of-Stake blockchains, not a disadvantage.

Ethereum was the first major cryptocurrency to transition from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake, with the Merge upgrade in September 2022.

Staking is the process by which validators are selected to validate transactions in a Proof-of-Stake blockchain based on the amount of cryptocurrency they stake.

Enhanced security is not a direct benefit of Proof-of-Stake blockchains, as they may be susceptible to different types of attacks compared to Proof-of-Work.

Staking threshold refers to the minimum amount of cryptocurrency required to become a validator in a Proof-of-Stake blockchain.

Block validation time is not a factor that directly affects the rewards earned by validators in a Proof-of-Stake blockchain.

Delegation refers to the process of transferring cryptocurrency to a validator in a Proof-of-Stake blockchain, allowing individuals to participate in the consensus process without running their own validator node.

Lower energy consumption is an advantage of Proof-of-Stake blockchains, not a challenge.