When the federal research grants stopped coming, one team of scientists found an unlikely backup plan: OnlyFans. The project, led by UCLA ecology professor Daniel Blumstein, has tracked generations of yellow-bellied marmots since 1962, making it one of the longest continuous studies of wild mammals anywhere in the world. The decades of data have helped scientists better understand everything from animal behavior and communication to how wildlife adapts to climate change. But after repeated funding rejections—and broader cuts to federal research funding over the past year—the team found itself looking for new ways to keep the project alive. Instead of spending their time writing papers and conducting research, scientists are increasingly forced to become marketers, fundraisers and social media creators just to keep long-term projects alive.