The Tale of Gobind Khorana
As immigration policy is a hot button issue of the day, I want to share the story behind today’s Google Doodle. It celebrates Gobind Khorana, a Nobel Prize winning biochemist and DNA researcher. Born in a small village in Punjab, Khorana was drawn to the United States as many have been: to continue his academic research.
And what incredible research it was! In addition to being the first to chemically synthesize oligonucleotides, and thereby create the world’s first syntheticgene, he was the first to show that the order of nucleotides in DNA determines which amino acids are produced — work that won him the Nobel Prize. He’s sometimes called the “father of chemical biology.” He went on to run labs in the US, and eventually became a Professor at MIT, where he passed on his knowledge to scores of students. His foundational work was an essential building block for modern innovations like CRISPR.
All Americans should be incredibly grateful that Khorana and brilliant researchers like him choose to come to the US. Not only do they contribute directly to making this the innovation capital of the world, but they pass on their knowledge and expertise to future generations of Americans. If Khorana never came to the US, would some other place be the center for synthetic biology? It’s possible. What future industries might we lose if we turn researchers like him away at the border?
After initially coming to the US to continue his research, years later Khorana eventually became an American citizen himself, and lived here until his death 45 years later. He represents the very best of America. It’s important these days we not forget that.
