In brief
French scientist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai are the latest recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recognized for solving the long‑standing question of life's selective use of one mirror‑image form of chiral molecules. The committee explained that biomolecules such as amino acids are chiral, yet living systems employ only one of the two possible configurations. The laureates demonstrated how asymmetry can spontaneously emerge from achiral precursors, providing a plausible explanation for biological homochirality. Their findings underscore the significance of chirality to biochemistry and offer fresh clues to the origins of life.
French scientist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai have received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for unveiling the reason why life favors one mirror‑image form of chiral molecules.
The Nobel Committee announced that molecules such as the amino acids that build proteins are chiral, meaning they exist in two mirror‑image versions.
Despite the structural mirror symmetry, biological systems use only one of the two forms, a long‑standing enigma that Kagan and Soai addressed by demonstrating how asymmetry can arise spontaneously from achiral starting materials.
The award highlights the importance of chirality in biochemistry and offers new insight into the origins of life.
By Victoria Gill, Science correspondent
Published 19 minutes ago
