The Mysterious Molecular Symmetry That Rules Life
Most organic molecules have a mirror-image twin. This concept is known as chirality. Yet life only uses one chiral molecule, not the other. The reason for this asymmetry is one of the greatest mysteries of biology. From Louis Pasteur to stereochemistry to the concept of mirror life, here is the science of chirality. 00:00 What is chirality? 01:47 Louis Pasteur's discovery 03:28 Thalidomide tragedy 04:42 Science of stereochemistry 07:29 Origin of life research 10:29 Risks of mirror life 12:02: Searching for life beyond Earth Quanta Magazine is an editorially independent publication supported by the Simons Foundation. Visit our website at https://www.quantamagazine.org.
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