When it comes to Beatles references, scientists can't let it be
New study detects 3,200 references to Beatles song titles and lyrics in academic papers.
Scientists reveal their playful side by frequently referencing popular culture in their research papers, including song lyrics. The Beatles emerge as the most referenced musical group in scientific literature, according to a new study published in PLoS ONE. Co-author Gabriel Budel of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands noted, "Some of these are genuinely brilliant."
The paper mentions how the song "The lung and winding road" references Long COVID by changing one vowel in the lyrics of The Beatles. Another paper turns "Here comes the SU(N)" into a quantum computing reference to The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." The reference trend began in 2014 when Swedish scientists at the Karolinska Institute inserted Bob Dylan lyrics into their papers as part of a long-running bet.
The most frequently referenced Dylan lyrics were "The Times They Are A Changin'" and "Blowing in the Wind."
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