Al Jazeera reports: Scientists Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for solving a longstanding riddle of asymmetric "mirror.
Science⏱ 1 min read · Source: Al Jazeera
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Their findings showed how chemical reactions can be driven to favour a single molecular mirror image, work that has been key for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture…
- “The left-handed version of the drug can have one effect, and the right-handed version can have another effect, and then we need methods for selectively preparing them,” said…
- Heiner Linke, chair of the committee, said the two scientists provided “a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously”…
Al Jazeera reports: Scientists Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for solving a longstanding riddle of asymmetric “mirror image” molecules, a discovery hugely important for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on Wednesday the pair – Kagan, 95, from France; and Soai, 76, from Japan – were honoured “for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis”.
Key Points
- Their findings showed how chemical reactions can be driven to favour a single molecular mirror image, work that has been key for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture…
- “The left-handed version of the drug can have one effect, and the right-handed version can have another effect, and then we need methods for selectively preparing them,” said…
- Heiner Linke, chair of the committee, said the two scientists provided “a solution to a chemical mystery that is over a century old: how homochirality can emerge spontaneously”…
The Details
Yet living organisms almost exclusively use only one version, a phenomenon known as “homochirality” – from the Greek word for hand – that has puzzled chemists for more than a century. Soai, speaking by phone to the Nobel Prize news conference, said he had been out shopping when he received the news.
Wider Coverage
The story is also being covered by DW News, Nikkei Asia, The Guardian (Science), indicating broad interest across the technology press.
Read the Full Story
This is a short news brief prepared by our desk. For the complete report, including all quotes and context, read the original article at Al Jazeera.
Source: This article is based on reporting by Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera Staff). Read the original article. Also covered by DW News, Nikkei Asia, The Guardian (Science).
This story was compiled automatically by BSDC Cortex 7.0 from the cited source, then checked by automated fact, style and quality gates. No external AI service was used.
📰 Related on this site
About bsdc news
bsdc news is a digital news engine providing structured coverage on software architecture, web technologies, and tech updates.