Har Gobind Khorana is considered a major contributor to the science of genetics. In addition to developing a relatively inexpensive method of synthesizing acetyl coenzyme A, a complex molecule used in biochemical research, he succeeded in cracking the genetic code of yeast by synthesizing parts of a nucleic acid molecule--an achievement for which he shared the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine. Khorana went on to do other significant work, including the synthesis of the first completely artificial gene.

Khorana was born around January 9, 1922 in the small village of Raipur, India (now a part of West Pakistan), the youngest of five children of Ganpat Rai Khorana, a tax collector for the British colonial government, and Krishna (Devi) Khorana. His family, although poor, was one of the few literate families in his village. He received his early education under a tree in outdoor classes conducted by the village teacher...