In brief
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan for solving the long‑standing mystery of life’s molecular asymmetry. Their research demonstrates why life exclusively uses one enantiomer of chiral molecules, such as the amino acids that build proteins. The Nobel Committee praised the breakthrough for clarifying a fundamental question in biochemistry. This discovery opens new avenues for designing drugs and materials that mimic the precise handedness of biological molecules.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to French scientist Henri B. Kagan and Japan's Kenso Soai for providing a solution to the chemical mystery of life's asymmetry.
The Nobel Committee explained: “Molecules used by all life, such as the amino acids that are building blocks of proteins, are what is known as chiral.”
“This means that they have two versions that are mirror images of one another.”
Life is highly selective and only works with one version. The two scientists answered the question of why life favours one of these mirror image molecules over the other.
By Victoria Gill – Science correspondent
