DeSci and MeMe Coin: The Collision of Scientific Innovation and Market Craze

Recently, the DeSci (Decentralized Science) narrative has sparked a wave of excitement in the crypto market. From the issuance of $RIF and $URO tokens imitating Pump.fun's Pump Science, to the attention war ignited by Scihub-related tokens, and the resurgence of established DeSci projects like Bio Protocol, Vita DAO, and ResearchHub, the market's enthusiasm for DeSci has been rising and falling.

Some believe that DeSci in 2024 may replicate the glory of DeFi in 2019. This new narrative of open-sourcing scientific papers and reshaping the paradigm of research has excited cross-disciplinary individuals. For those long influenced by leftist thought, tokens with positive externalities seem to embody a sense of justice.

However, does MeMe coin really need positive externalities like DeSci? There is a viewpoint that MeMe coin is essentially a digital lottery of the 2020s, providing extreme volatility for young people pursuing wealth and giving the new generation a chance to participate in wealth distribution. Bestowing lofty meaning on the lottery may lead to more people paying "IQ tax," allowing the house to profit.

From the perspective of communication studies, MeMe coin trading is a typical market of attention tokenization. A good narrative, whether it involves positive externalities or unique culture, can serve as an effective medium for communication. Therefore, DeSci, as a form of honor market consensus, has considerable potential in terms of communication.

Conversely, DeSci does indeed need the wealth effect and market attention brought by MeMe coin. As a niche sector, despite the support of major exchanges and well-known figures, DeSci projects are often seen as social currencies in small circles, making it difficult to attract mainstream funding.

Can DeSci achieve disruptive innovation like DeFi? This question is worth exploring. Science is not only about truth but also involves power, especially the religious-like power of the scientific community. Whether it's research DAOs or new fundraising models, they are all trying to challenge and innovate the existing power structures within the scientific community.

Although the financial attributes of DeSci are not as strong as those of DeFi, lacking composability and leverage effects, making it difficult to create huge new assets like DeFi. However, it represents a new attempt and brings new possibilities to the scientific community.

Overall, the combination of DeSci and MeMe coin reflects the market's enthusiasm and is also an attempt at technological innovation. Despite facing challenges, this combination could bring new opportunities and changes to the research field.