Scientist of the day: Har Gobind Khorana

Har Gobind Khorana
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1968
Robert W. Holley, H. Gobind Khorana, Marshall W. Nirenberg

Born: 9 January 1922, Raipur, India

Died: 9 November 2011, Concord, MA, USA

Affiliation at the time of the award:University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

Nobel Prize motivation: "for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis"

Field: genetics, molecular biology

Nobel Prize share: 1/3

Work on Electron Diffraction

In the 1950s, it was established that genetic information is transferred from DNA to RNA, to protein. One sequence of three nucleotides in DNA corresponds to a certain amino acid within a protein. How could this genetic code be cracked? After Marshall Nirenberg discovered the first piece of the puzzle, the remainder of the code was gradually revealed in the years that followed. Har Gobind Khorana made important contributions to this field by building different RNA chains with the help of enzymes. Using these enzymes, he was able to produce proteins. The amino acid sequences of these proteins then solved the rest of the puzzle.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever. PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003.

During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.