Step Aside, Dogecoin: 'Father Of MEMEs' Richard Dawkins Gets Crypto Named After Him As Birthday Present, Elon Musk LOLs At Dawkoin

Richard Dawkins, the renowned evolutionary biologist who coined the term “meme” in his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene,” received a unique birthday present this year: a cryptocurrency named after him — the Dawkoin.

What Happened: Dawkins, who turned 83 on Tuesday, acknowledged the creation with a touch of amusement, tweeting, “Well, just fancy that. To commemorate my birthday, and the coining of the word ‘meme,' somebody has created a meme coin, the Dawkoin. I don't even know what that means, but it sounds intriguing.”

This development caught the attention of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a vocal supporter of cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin BTC/USD and Dogecoin DOGE/USD, the original meme coin. Musk responded to Dawkins’ tweet with a laughing emoji, hinting at his awareness of the Dawkoins phenomenon.

See Also: How to Buy Cryptocurrencies • Step-by-Step

‘Father Of MEMES:‘ Dawkoins positions itself as a tribute to Dawkins’ work, crediting him as the “father of MEMES” on its website. The website also outlines a total supply of 1 billion Dawkoins and details the buying process, which involves converting Solana SOL/USD cryptocurrency on the Raydium platform.

The crypto’s visual representation seems to be a clear homage to PEPE Coin PEPE/USD, another meme crypto that has recently drawn heavy attention and money on exchanges.

Investing In Dawkoins: Proceed with Caution

While the Dawkoins concept is certainly novel, potential investors should approach it with a cautious eye. 

Meme coins, by their very nature, tend to be highly volatile and speculative investments. Their value often hinges on online buzz and hype, leading to significant price fluctuations.

Price Action: Major cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin and Ethereum, were trading higher as of 2.46 am ET on Tuesday, with Bitcoin once again crossing the $70,000 barrier.

Read Next: Dogecoin Soars As Elon Musk’s X Payments Gains Ground, Enthusiasts Rally With $800M Boost

Image made with photos on Shutterstock

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.