Identifying the 1968 Nobel Laureate for Genetic Code Research

The question asks to identify the Indian scientist awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1968 for deciphering the genetic code. This involved understanding how the sequence of nucleotides in nucleic acids (like DNA) determines the sequence of amino acids in proteins.

Har Gobind Khorana's Nobel Prize Achievement

Har Gobind Khorana, an Indian-American biochemist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968.

• He shared the prize with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley.
• The award recognized their work in interpreting the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis.
• Khorana's specific contributions included synthesizing nucleic acids with known sequences, which helped establish the triplet nature of the genetic code.

Evaluating Other Options

• M. Visvesvaraya: A notable engineer and statesman, not a Nobel laureate in Medicine.
• Meghnad Saha: A renowned physicist, known for the Saha ionization equation, but not for the 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
• Venkatraman Radhakrishnan: A physicist known for work in crystallography, not the 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Therefore, Har Gobind Khorana is the correct answer, matching the criteria of being an Indian scientist who received the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on the genetic code.