Punning boffins knockin’ on Bob Dylan’s door for inspiration

The times they are a-changin’ in medical science, but many researchers are stuck in a time-warp, drawing inspiration for their research from singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

As Tim Sandle of Digital Journal reveals, many scientists are Dylan fans and since 1970 the singer-songwriter’s lyrics have been cropping up in their research papers. To date, 727 papers have been tracked as featuring Dylan’s verse.

Dylan’s lyrics and song titles often crop up as cringe-inducing puns, including a stem cell investigation, Like a Rolling Histone, and a germination study titled Knockin’ On Pollen’s Door. An editorial in the British Medical Journal , about the risk of hang gliding, was titled Blowin’ in the Wind.