At Stockholm’s world-renowned Karolinska Institute, known for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, a quieter, more lyrical competition was unfolding — one that had less to do with scientific breakthroughs and more to do with Bob Dylan lyrics.
It all started in 1997, when professors John Jundberg and Eddie Weitzburg, both experts in nitric oxide research, decided to inject a little melody into their method. Their landmark paper on flatulence and inflammation bore the title “Nitric Oxide and Inflammation: The Answer Is Blowin’ in the Wind.” It was cheeky. It was scientifically sound. And it was unmistakably Dylan.
What began as a knowing nod to their musical muse soon turned into a slow-simmering academic battle of wits. Some time later, two other professors at the institute — Jonas Frisen and Konstantinos Meletis — published a paper titled “Blood on the Tracks: A Simple Twist of Fate.” It examined how non-neural cells, like blood cells, could generate neurons, but more importantly, it rang a bell in the ears of Dylan-loving colleagues.
A curious librarian, piecing together the pattern, brought the new Dylan-titled paper to Jundberg and Weitzburg’s attention. Suddenly, what had been an in-joke between two scientists transformed into a full-fledged wager. The goal? Sneak as many Bob Dylan song titles into peer-reviewed research papers as possible before retirement.
The prize? A humble but prestigious free lunch at the Jöns Jacob Restaurant in Solna — the Swedish equivalent of a gentleman’s club and a Michelin star combined.
Rules were drawn, winks exchanged and alliances formed. A fifth competitor soon entered the ring: Kenneth Chien, a cardiovascular professor with a poetic streak. His entry, “Tangled Up in Blue: Molecular Cardiology in the Postmolecular Era,” earned him immediate induction into the newly formed ‘Dylan Science Society.’ The game was on.
What followed was a flurry of publications where biology met songster. Frisen fired back with “Eph Receptors Tangled Up in Two” in 2010. Jundberg and Weitzburg upped the ante with “The Biological Role of Nitrate and Nitrite: The Times They Are a-Changin’,” and then delivered “Dietary Nitrate – A Slow Train Coming.” It was Dylan as hypothesis. It was peer review with folky soul.
Over the years, the contest gained quiet notoriety. Interns whispered about it. Grad students speculated. Post-docs tried to guess the next title. In 2014, the secret was officially out. A Swedish newspaper picked up the story and soon NPR followed. Suddenly, these serious scientists found themselves with fans — not just for their work in physiology and neurology, but for their lyrical acrobatics.
“I would much rather become famous for my scientific work than for my Bob Dylan quotes,” Weitzburg told a reporter. Then, with a grin, he admitted, “But yes, I am enjoying this!”
And then? Silence. Whether due to retirement, professional discretion or perhaps an unspoken vow to never reveal the winner, the Dylan title war seemed to vanish into the annals of academic lore. No articles since have clearly claimed victory. No reports of lunch at Jöns Jacob.
Maybe someone won. Maybe no one did. Maybe the real victory was giving science just a little more personality. And perhaps that's how it should be. Because when it comes to five Swedish scientists, Bob Dylan, and the most melodious bet in medical academia — “Don’t think twice, it’s alright.”
(Don Minnick is a clinical psychologist and organizational consultant and the author of books linked to business and the arts. He has found a home in the creative and culture-rich Wimberley valley. He is a Board Member of Wimberley Arts.org. [email protected])
