My response to this will be less specific than you might appreciate :) I have little understanding of blockchain mechanics and even less understanding of NFTs. I am, however, interested in the process of scientific research.
I remember reading with amazement about Marie Curie's path to the Nobel Prize (shared with Bequerel). It was mostly measuring. Painstaking measuring and insight into what she was observing. The fact that she shared the prize with Bequerel is commentary on the dynamics of research attribution and politics.
I also remember the conflict between Watson/Crick and Rosalind Franklin when it came to receiving credit for 'discovering' the structure of DNA. Once again, politics entered into it.
So...your suggestion that we get around the traditional publishing/accreditation stream in research probably is headed in the right direction. It certainly is a messy state of affairs as things stand now.
Good luck with that idea. Innovation and throwing off institutional choke holds is almost always a good thing.
My understanding of NFTs and blockchain is still poor at this point too TBH, but I intend to teach myself about blockchain basics. I learned that if you want to understand how blockchain works so that you can design one that does what you want, the best way is to design a dummy blockchain with an app called Python. You design a blockchain from the ground up that is basically a knockoff of of Bitcoin, and have your computer mine your quasi cryptocurrency. Once you understand that, you can begin doing away with things like mining to make the blockchain more similar to HIVE, enable smart contracts and NFT creation, and possibly even doing away with cryptocurrency, although I like the idea of a decentralized token that can be used by scientists, inventors, and artists to publish their unique work to the blockchain. From what I understand, an NFT is a decentralized patent, copyright, or other proof of intellectual property, and basically you pay a small amount of crypto to mint the NFT. I, like you, am not into the NFT hype. I actually think most NFTs are worthless, and many are scams actually that people try to sell. I like the idea of intellectual property without the need for a patent lawyer or some other middleman.