There probably isn’t a single person over the age of five who hasn’t heard of science — and if not, they might need a serious education overhaul. There are, however, likely somewhat fewer who have heard of decentralized science (DeSci), despite the fact that it is rapidly growing in popularity while changing the science game through its unique methods of funding, sharing, and conducting research.
DeSci essentially takes the ideas of open science — freely shared and peer-reviewable scientific data — and transports it over to the blockchain, allowing for crowdsourcing and direct funding for research, faster results, and the removal of intermediaries, all while ensuring that it stays well away from the (typically grubby) hands of centralized companies and organizations. Blockchain tech also means DeSci is immutable, transparent, easily verifiable, and accessible by anyone. Plus, due to it often having an investment vehicle (such as cryptocurrency) involved, it can often mean financial benefits for those supporting the cause, creating a win-win situation for all.
However, the key question is what specifically is driving this tidal change in scientific methodology and DeSci’s sudden wave of popularity. Let’s take a look.
Big “Binancial” Backing
DeSci’s move from a niche interest to center stage is thanks largely to high-profile endorsements and investments. For example, Binance Labs — the venture capitalist arm of one of the most influential entities in the crypto world — announced back in November 2024 that it had invested in BIO Protocol, an on-chain platform that directs capital and spending to the most promising early-stage science projects.
Additionally, industry leaders like Changpeng Zhao and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin have been very public in their support of DeSci, with the latter going so far as to donate $15 million in USDC coin via his Balvi philanthropic fund, to establish The Airborne Institute at UC San Diego, which will focus on better understanding aerosolized pathogens and their impact (such as COVID-19) but has, in a broader sense, shone a bright light on the potential for DeSci to transform numerous scientific processes, such as research, rare disease studies, and patient-driven healthcare innovation.
A Better Meta
Another reason DeSci is being discussed so much right now is that crypto has very clear trends, (known as metas), so when a pack leader starts to run, many others follow, as investors look for lower-entry alternatives than those currently leading the charge. This, by extension, brings the subject of the trend (in this case DeSci) into the spotlight, and while the average meme investor moves like a magpie onto the next shiny thing, many of those who see the true potential stay and spread the word, thus growing the movement. Indeed, tokenized projects like AxonDAO, Hypocrat, and Galeon are but a handful of many DeSci projects helping to raise awareness through their growing popularity.
It’s Just Better
One of DeSci’s most compelling promises is the simple fact that in almost every measurable metric, it’s better. Now, that isn’t to say it’s perfect, as there are always scammers waiting to set up rug-pulls in the guise of genuine research DAOs. There is the brutal and volatile crypto market itself to deal with, which is constantly hammered by external events, and, of course, the possibility that a project could die from lack of funding, leaving independent researchers without a source of income.
But when it works, it works so well. It demolishes walls that plague traditional scientific research, such as funding bottlenecks, centralized decision-making, corporation and governmental overreach, and lack of transparency and biased results, which all serve to either kill innovation or seriously hamstring progress via enough red tape to reach the moon. Democratized access, global participation and collaboration, transparency, traceability, open peer review, and direct access to researchers and their work are crucial to true scientific progress, and DeSci lets it all happen through the very nature of the technology itself.
Which is pretty great.
In a nutshell, DeSci’s surge into the mainstream consciousness reflects a perfect storm of technological innovation, cultural appeal, and financial opportunity, which — given that it also actually benefits humanity in a vast number of ways during an era where everything around us seems like it was plucked from the fever dream of a doomsdayer zealot — is something to feel pretty positive about.
