Scientists discover possible mechanism for creating 'handedness' in biological molecules
Monday, December 1, 2008 - 14:35
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) --The basic molecules that make up all living things have a predetermined chirality or "handedness,” similar to the way people are right- or left-handed. This chirality has a profound influence on the chemistry and molecular interactions of living organisms. The creation of chirality from the elementary building blocks of matter is one of the great mysteries of the origin of life. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a way to induce this handedness in pre-biological molecules.