Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for solving mystery of molecular handedness in life
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how tiny asymmetries in molecular handedness can be amplified to produce overwhelmingly one-handed molecules, explaining how life's homochirality could emerge. Their work showed that chiral catalysts can nonlinearly amplify small imbalances, enabling near-exclusive production of one mirror-image form.
Why it matters. This breakthrough is essential for drug development, materials science, and understanding life's origins, as it explains how biological molecules achieve uniform handedness and enables precise synthesis of chiral compounds.