“And if three whole people, why not — four? And if four whole people, why not–more, and more, and more….” – Snoopy and the Peanuts

There has been much recent discussion on the role of crowdfunding in scientific research (for example, see here and here).  Crowdfunding is the public funding of projects or ideas of organizations or individuals, typically via the internet.  Described as “sort of a combination of venture capitalism and social networking” by the bloggers at Jabberwocky Ecology, several organizations have emerged to support this funding model for the scientific community (e.g., Petridish, #SciFund Challenge).  What role will crowdfunding play in science research funding?  How important will this funding source be in the future?  Will it shape the way some science is done?  Will it lead to greater interaction between scientists and non-scientists?  The verdict is still out on these and other questions, but…