Betting on lab mice’s athleticism for scientific research coming to Solana-based prediction platform

Two crypto firms, Pump.science and Hedgehog Markets, are launching a project that will allow people to wager on the athleticism of laboratory mice that have been given compounds capable of improving the life expectancy of humans.

"Each week, mice are treated with potential life-extending compounds, and undergo endurance testing," the two companies said in a statement on Wednesday. "Participants can access video footage of the individual mice, preliminary data, and insights from past experiments to inform their predictions on which mouse will stay on the rotarod the longest."

The endurance testing will involve placing laboratory mice on a rotating rod, considered the "industry standard for measuring motor function and vitality in aging research," according to a statement. A mouse's endurance, and possibly the effectiveness of the longevity compounds it is given, will be determined by how long they can stay on the rod as the speed is gradually increased.

People interested in participating will be able to place wagers on which mouse will perform the best using the Solana-based prediction platform Hedgehog Markets. The mice will be given names and testing will last eight weeks, the companies said.

The novel initiative comes roughly two months after prediction markets, namely the market leader Polymarket, experienced a massive surge of volumes during the U.S. presidential election. Polymarket's cumulative trading volume surpassed $9 billion last year.

Betting on science

"By streaming real-time mouse endurance tests with prediction markets, we're ushering in a new and more engaging participation model of scientific discovery," said Pump.science founder Benji Leibowitz in a statement. Hedgehog Markets CEO Kyle DiPeppe echoed those sentiments, adding that "prediction markets have proven powerful for everything from sports to politics. Now, we’re bringing that same power to science."

Backed by the Solana Foundation, Pump.science is a "crypto-powered research protocol for launching and funding scientific experiments, starting with longevity studies." Longevity studies, particularly popular in the world's tech capital Silicon Valley, explore methods of improving and extending humans' lifespans.