Science · Source ✓ Nobel announcement
Chemistry Nobel goes to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for the mirror-molecule puzzle
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Henri Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan for discovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric synthesis, the way a small imbalance between mirror-image molecules can be amplified. The prize is 12 million Swedish kronor.
Many medicines work in only one mirror-image form, so making the right one matters for drug safety.
Better methods to make the right form of a drug can make medicines safer and cheaper.
Literature follows on Thursday.
DailyDrop Singapore edition No. 3 · Morning · WED., OCT. 7, 2026