In brief
Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for answering why living organisms prefer a specific handedness of chiral molecules. They proved that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, exist in two mirror‑image forms, yet life uses only one of them. This discovery unlocks new understanding of the origin of life and the fundamental chemistry that powers biology. Science correspondent Victoria Gill reports on the groundbreaking breakthrough.
Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for solving the age‑old puzzle of why life uses only one hand of chiral molecules.
Life’s building blocks, like amino acids, exist in two mirror‑image forms, but living organisms use just one. The two scientists discovered the mechanism that favors this single form, giving insight into how life began and how its chemistry was set.
The Nobel Committee praised their work as a “milestone” for chemistry and biology, revealing a critical piece of the chemistry that makes life possible.
