'Breakthrough' Could Explain Why Life Molecules Are Left- Or Right-Handed

Researchers have proposed a new explanation for the origin of biological handedness or "homochirality," reports Science Magazine. "In three new papers, researchers suggest magnetic minerals common on early Earth could have caused key biomolecules to accumulate on their surface in just one mirror image form, setting off a positive feedback that continued to favor the same form." From the report: Chemical reactions are typically unbiased, yielding equal amounts of right- and left-handed molecules.