French-Japanese duo wins Nobel for solving chemical asymmetry puzzle

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to French scientist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese scientist Kenso Soai. Both scientists were honored for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.

They solved a century-old mystery regarding homochirality, explaining why biological molecules like amino acids exist in two mirror-image forms, yet life on Earth exclusively utilizes only one of those versions. Their findings also allow chemists to design reactions that reliably produce the desired molecular hand-version, which is crucial for manufacturing pharmaceuticals.