Gobind: an inspiring enigma

Gobind Khorana’s distinguished career spanned nearly six decades (1952–2011). His work resulted in remarkable achievements starting with the complicated synthesis of coenzyme A. He then pioneered the synthesis of DNA oligonucleotides, which enabled him to crack the genetic code. Using this experience, he ventured to accomplish the first complete synthesis of a gene. Not satisfied with elucidating the function of bacteriorhodopsin, Gobind took up another greater challenge, that of spearheading studies on visual rhodopsin, its mechanism of activation, and the consequent signal transduction pathway. This Editorial acts to introduce the articles appearing in this Issue Focus dedicated to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the year of his birth.