A squeeze on federal research money has driven university scientists to resort to an unconventional revenue stream: uploading footage of wild rodents on an adult content platform. Ecologists at a lab affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, have launched an OnlyFans account called “OnlyMarms” to post videos of yellow-bellied marmots in the wild. The effort aims to generate donations and offset federal budget cuts that forced universities to slash funding for graduate students overseeing long-term environmental research. The idea struck project lead Daniel Blumstein while watching the Apple TV comedy Margo’s Got Money Troubles. He realized his furry subjects had financial woes of their own. “It’s creating a real challenge,” Blumstein told the Los Angeles TImes. “This is a great teachable moment, not just about marmots, but about the sad state of scientific funding, the value of long-term scientific research and keeping a project alive that we think is valuable to society.” The G-rated account has already attracted 1,700 fans and netted about $4,000 after platform cuts, alongside a fan-created cryptocurrency. “The marmots don’t know how famous they are,” graduate student Emily Renkey told the paper with a laugh. Blumstein added that he was surprised by “the overwhelming international interest in marmots.”
