The Shy Nobel Laureate: Har Gobind Khorana and ‘Total Synthesis’ | The Rearview Podcast
This podcast episode from The Rearview explores the life of Har Gobind Khorana, an Indian-origin Nobel laureate who helped decipher the genetic code. It covers his journey from pre-Partition Punjab to prominent scientific institutions and his significant contributions to biochemistry.
Why it matters
Khorana's story highlights groundbreaking scientific achievements in understanding the fundamental language of life and offers insights into the challenges and triumphs of pioneering scientists from diverse backgrounds.
What happens when a bureaucratic blunder wrecks a young scientist’s career plans, and the wreckage turns out to be the making of him? And why would a man who helped crack the language of life spend decades insisting that his greatest triumph was only a detour?
In this episode of The Rearview, we trace the life of Har Gobind Khorana, only one of four Indian origin scientists who were awarded a Nobel Prize. He was born in pre-Partition Punjab, the son of a village tax clerk. A scholarship took him from Lahore to Liverpool, Zürich and Cambridge. Friendships, family and a wife who kept his world running took him on to Vancouver, Madison and MIT.
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