UCLA scientists unlock mystery of how 'handedness' arises
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 15:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Colored patches represent parallelogram outlines around pairs of triangles that have formed chiral super-structures. Parallelograms having different "handedness " and orientations are color-coded and superimposed over each other. The overwhelming majority of proteins and other functional molecules in our bodies display a striking molecular characteristic: They can exist in two distinct forms that are mirror images of each other, like your right hand and left hand. Surprisingly, each of our bodies prefers only one of these molecular forms.
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