Chemistry Nobel for molecular asymmetry breakthrough

A French-Japanese duo won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for explaining why biological molecules overwhelmingly favor one of two possible 'mirror image' forms, a long-standing puzzle known as molecular asymmetry. Mirror-image molecules are structurally identical but non-superimposable, like left and right hands, yet life relies almost exclusively on one form of molecules such as amino acids and sugars. The work is expected to inform drug design, since many pharmaceuticals must isolate the correct mirror-image form of a compound to be effective and safe.