Solana traders raise $150K for 64-year marmot study after NSF cuts
In brief
- Yellow-bellied marmot study in Gothic, Colorado spans 64 years, the second-longest individually-tracked wild mammal research globally.
- NSF declined funding in May as U.S. universities faced broader research budget cuts.
- Solana meme coin creator fees generated over $150,000 for the project within weeks.
The longest study of its kind
Kenneth Armitage began tracking the Gothic marmot population in 1962, establishing what would become the second-longest study of individually identified wild mammals in the world. Daniel Blumstein took over direction of the marmot study in 2001 and now runs it with University of Ottawa professor Julien Martin. The project's value lies in its continuity. Six decades of data reveal population dynamics, genetic inheritance, and survival patterns that single seasons cannot capture.
Recent work demonstrates this depth. A 2025 study from the project examined whether warning behavior can be inherited using a pedigree spanning 11 generations and 2,196 animals. But continuity faces threats. Before the last hibernation period, the team monitored more than 160 animals and found about 60 when fieldwork resumed. Blumstein associated most of the marmot loss with inadequate snow cover, a climate-driven pressure that makes continuous monitoring critical.
From NSF rejection to crypto rescue
The NSF declined the latest continuation request in late May as American universities were absorbing broader research cuts. The timing was brutal. Fieldwork runs on a narrow summer window; without funding, the team couldn't deploy to Colorado.
UCLA professor Daniel Blumstein proposed a G-rated OnlyFans account called OnlyMarms to fund the marmot research. Blumstein borrowed the OnlyFans idea from the Apple TV series Margo's Got Money Troubles. Graduate student Emily Renkey created OnlyMarms, filled it with nearly daily field videos and explanations. The account is free, with visitors able to leave tips for photographs and videos of marmot life.
But the real momentum came from elsewhere. An independent group of crypto traders created a Solana meme coin whose creator fees have generated more than $150,000 for the research project. The effort bridged a gap that traditional funding couldn't close, allowing the team to resume fieldwork and continue one of science's longest-running animal studies.
