Researchers at UCLA are turning to OnlyFans to fund their marmot research program — with plans to feature images of the furry rodents rather than sexy models.
“It’s going to be G-rated, and we’re not going to sexualize this,” Dr. Daniel Blumstein, a UCLA professor, told the New York Times. “We’re just going to have fun with sharing.”
The “OnlyMarms” account, which is free to subscribe to, mostly features the rodents caught on camera in candid moments. The marmot team at UCLA cheekily advertises “uncensored marmot content” on the account.
The program has lacked federal funding since officials deemed the “lab had already collected enough long-term data to answer their research questions,” and denied a new proposal for funding. The lab received federal funding for over a decade from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Long Term Research in Environmental Biology.
“It may be symbolic for a lot of people of the lengths researchers have to go in order to fund really important work,” student, Emily Renkey, told The Daily Bruin.
The researchers decided to turn to the adult content platform to seek out money. The effort has managed to raise at least $2,800 in tips from fans.
Blumstein initially went through a humorous predicament when he began the account: He needed to send a picture of his driver’s license, and his photos didn’t match the videos and photos of marmots uploaded to the site.
“I don’t look like the marmot,” Blumstein said. “All the marmots are minors, but we have to do this for science education.”
But OnlyFans allowed him to continue with the account after he emailed the company.
Subscribers will delights in images of marmots named “Jamba Juice” and “Egg.”
Videos of the rodents are taken on camera traps. The rodents are seen playing around, chirping and stretching.
Katie Adler, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology, told The Daily Bruin that the effort hopes to make science more exciting.
“That’s a huge part of it – making science more accessible and making it exciting for people who could never have thought that they’d be interested in something like this,” she said.
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