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Har Gobind Khorana Biography, Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Wiki & More

Updated On : January 11, 2018

Short Biography

Har Gobind Khorana was born on 09-01-1922 in Raipur, Khanewal in the state of Punjab, Pakistan. He was an Indian American Biochemist & Scientist.

Har Gobind Khorana Complete Bio & Career

Har Gobind Khorana was born in a poor family but his father insisted on providing him a good education. Early on he went to a local school where he was educated under a tree by a village teacher; his father also taught him at home. His family was in fact the only literate one in the whole village. He went to the D.A.V High School in Multan where he was greatly influenced by his teacher, Ratan Lal. He earned a scholarship to study chemistry at the Punjab University, Lahore.
 
He completed his B.Sc in 1943 and M.Sc in 1945. A brilliant student, he was awarded a scholarship by the Government of India to study at the University of Liverpool. He went to England where he worked for a Ph.D degree at the University of Liverpool under the supervision of Roger J.S. Beer. It was the first time he had traveled outside India and this experience was his introduction to Western culture. He earned his Ph.D in 1948.
 
He received a job offer from Dr. Gordon M Shrum of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, in 1952. He accepted even though the British Columbia Research Council did not offer many facilities for research. In 1960, he accepted a position at the Institute for Enzyme Research at the University of Wisconsin. During the 1960s he delved deeper into his experiments in nucleic acids found in RNA, a chemical that translates the genetic information contained in DNA. RNA is composed of four chemical bases represented by the letters A, C, U, and G. He was successful in constructing the first ever artificial gene in 1972. A few years later he made the artificial gene function in a bacteria cell. Genetic engineering has been made possible only due to the ability to synthesize DNA. During his later years he experimented on the molecular mechanisms underlying the cell signaling pathways of vision in vertebrates. He primarily studied the structure and function of rhodospin, a light sensitive protein found in the eye.

Har Gobind Khorana Popular Videos

Honours & Awards

AWARD NAME AWARD CATEGORY RECEIPT YEAR RECEIPT FIELD
Padma Vibhushan Civilian Award 1969 Science and Engineering

Health Issues, Illness and Death Info

Har Gobind Khorana Died on 09-11-2011 in Concord in the state of Massachusetts, United States at the age of 89 due to Natural Causes.

DEATHDAY 9 November,2011 (Saturday)
DEATH PLACE Concord, Massachusetts
DEATH COUNTRY United States

Har Gobind Khorana Family, Relatives and Other Relations

He was born to Shrimati Krishna Krishna Devi Khorana and Shri Ganpat Rai Khorana. He married Esther Elizabeth Sibler and togetehr the couple had two daughters named Julia Elizabeth, and Emily Anne and a son named Dave Roy.

Life's Important Dates Of Har Gobind Khorana

Body Measurements

Skin Colour Fair
Eye Colour Black
Hair Colour White

Personal Info

Home Town Raipur (Currently in Pakistan)
Nationality American
Religion Hindu
Address Concord, Massachusetts, US
School DAV High School, Multan
College Punjab University, Lahore and University of Liverpool, Liverpool
Qualification B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D
Hobbies Reading
Marital Status Married

Shocking / Interesting Facts & Secrets About Har Gobind Khorana

  • On his 96th Birth anniversary, Google honoured him with a doodle.
  • His wife Esther Elizabeth Sibler was Swiss.
  • For his contribution, he was awarded numerous domestic and international awards including Willard Gibbs Award in the year 1974.

Har Gobind Khorana Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown

Har Gobind Khorana was 89 years 10 months & 0 day old age.