Date

Wednesday 20 May 2026

Time

15:15 - 15:45

Location

BW030

Supervisor

Dmitri Filippov

Jury

Sander Wezenberg

Biological homochirality, where biomolecules occur in only one chiral form in living organisms, remains a fundamental problem with an unresolved origin. This review examines the Soai reaction, which demonstrated that chiral molecules can emerge in an optically pure state from non-chiral starting materials, and discusses ongoing questions about its mechanism. However, its relevance to early Earth conditions remains limited. The review also examines recent studies showing how networks of amino acids and peptides could provide a realistic pathway for the emergence of biological homochirality.