An Indian professor of chemistry, C. N. R. Rao has been instrumental in the worldwide research into superconductivity. Superconductivity occurs when certain metals experience a total loss of electrical resistance, turning them into superconductors capable of carrying currents without any loss of energy. Electrical transmission through wires normally involves a substantial loss of energy; with superconductivity, this transmission could be vastly improved, saving costs. So far, superconductivity has occurred only at extremely cold temperatures, barring its use in commercial applications. Scientists have for years been working to create the phenomenon at normal temperatures.

Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was born on June 30, 1934, in Bangalore, India, the son of Hanumantha Nagesa and Nagamma Nagesa Rao. In 1953 he earned a master's degree from Banares Hundu University; in 1958, a doctor of philosophy degree from Purdue University. In 1958 he became a research chemist at the University of California at Berkeley, returning to India...