Nobel Surprise in the Wild: Fred Ramsdell's Unexpected Victory

Fred Ramsdell, 2025 Nobel medicine prize winner, was initially alarmed by his wife's yell during a Wyoming trip, mistaking it for a grizzly bear sighting. In fact, she had just learned of his Nobel win for groundbreaking immunology work. Ramsdell was unreachable due to the remote location.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Stockholm | Updated: 07-10-2025 15:10 IST | Created: 07-10-2025 15:10 IST
Nobel Surprise in the Wild: Fred Ramsdell's Unexpected Victory
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  • Sweden

In a surprising twist of events, Nobel medicine prize winner Fred Ramsdell found himself at the intersection of wilderness and scientific acclaim. On a rustic outing in Wyoming, Ramsdell was startled when his wife suddenly cried out. Initially fearing a bear, he soon discovered it was a yelp of joy, notifying him of his recent Nobel prize win for immunology research.

Thomas Perlmann, Secretary-General of the Nobel Assembly, recounted how difficult it was to contact Ramsdell. The scientist was off-grid, absorbed in nature and away from technology, when the prestigious award announcement was made. It was only upon reconnecting to the digital world that Ramsdell learned of his achievement.

This year's announcement adds to a history of Nobel quirks, reminiscent of Bob Dylan's delayed reaction to his 2016 literature prize and a 2011 medicine prize awarded despite a laureate's recent passing.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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