{
  "id": 12699306,
  "title": "Chemistry Nobel goes to reactions like those that gave life a hand",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/chemistry-nobel-goes-to-reactions-like-those-that-gave-life-a-hand-12699306",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-07T18:48:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica Science",
    "slug": "ars-technica-science",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/chemistry-nobel-goes-to-reactions-like-those-that-gave-life-a-hand/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to two scientists, Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai, for their groundbreaking work in understanding chemical reactions that help give life its unique characteristics.\n\nLife on Earth relies on complex molecules that possess a specific \"handedness,\" meaning these molecules are chemically identical yet mirror images of each other. Most chemical reactions typically produce a 50-50 mix of the left- and right-handed forms of a chemical. However, life only utilizes one of these forms, with the other being disregarded.\n\nThis selective use of handedness poses significant challenges for scientists studying the origin of life. The emergence of a world that may have initially consisted of an even distribution of left- and right-handed chemicals, evolving into one that exclusively uses one form, requires explanation.\n\nKagan and Soai's discoveries shed light on the possibility of chemical reactions being biased, resulting in large excesses of one form over the other. Their findings provide valuable insights into how life could have developed from a seemingly balanced chemical environment.\n\nThe award serves as a testament to the crucial role that these chemical processes play in shaping the fundamental properties of living organisms.",
  "summary": "Altering molecular handedness has implications for the origins of life.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica",
        "title": "Chemistry Nobel goes to reactions like those that gave life a hand",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/chemistry-nobel-goes-to-reactions-like-those-that-gave-life-a-hand",
        "published": "2026-10-07T18:48:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}