characteristic direction, the two isomers were called “left-handed” and “righthanded”. The principal properties of chirality were found. In a subsequent experiment, Pasteur discovered that mould degrades only one type of molecule (left- or
right-handed), whereas the other remains intact. This was without any doubt the first
step in the direction of modern biochemistry (Burke and Henderson 2002). A few
years later, this structural phenomenon was named CHIRALITY by Lord Kelvin
(after the Greek word χειρ which means hand). At that time, the majority of the
scientists did not consider these results to be very important for biological processes.
However, in the late nineteenth century, a vivid discussion was initiated, where
chemists and biologists discussed the implication of chirality for natural processes.
These discussions lasted relatively long (until the early years of the twentieth
century) and were one of those typical examples in the history of science, where
unconventional researchers, leaving the traditional ways of scientific thinking, had to
fight against ignorance raised by the established scientific community and had to
struggle, in order to break through the wall of traditions.
1.5 Chirality as Indicator Feature for Living Processes
Today, the crucial role of chirality in life-defining processes is undisputed anymore.
According to our current scientific understanding, a homochiral environment, created by enantiomeric pure forms of amino acids (L-forms) and here from deriving
peptides and proteins as well as nucleic acids (D-forms), is the basic foundations for
the complex physiological processes creating life in the biosphere.
1.5.1 Chirality as Tools for the Search of Extraterrestrial Life
According to today’s understanding, molecular chirality is acknowledged as a basic
feature for living processes (Fuss 2009; Hein and Blackmond 2012; Woolf 2015).
For the past decades, the origin of life is still vividly debated in science (Brack et al.
1998; Burke and Henderson 2002; Cintas 2008; Fuss 2009; Barron 2012a, b). On the
one hand, evolutionary scientists explain the continuous evolutionary principles of
living processes as exclusive adoptions to terrestrial environments. This theory is
supported by many renowned scientists acknowledging that the evolutionary development of living processes and organisms is exclusively terrestrial (Soffen 1986;
Bonner 1998; Breslow and Cheng 2009; Brack et al. 2010; Pizzarello and Shock
2010; Spitzer 2013). Other experts, however, discuss and investigate the introduction of important building blocks, for example, complex organic chemicals like
amino acids and peptides, for the evolution of life on earth by the action of extraterrestrial sources like meteorites and comets. This hypothesis is also supported by
the presence of amino acid-like organic molecules found in archived meteorites and
other extra-terrestrial materials collected from the earth’s surface (Donaldson et al.
1.5 Chirality as Indicator Feature for Living Processes
5
right-handed), whereas the other remains intact. This was without any doubt the first
step in the direction of modern biochemistry (Burke and Henderson 2002). A few
years later, this structural phenomenon was named CHIRALITY by Lord Kelvin
(after the Greek word χειρ which means hand). At that time, the majority of the
scientists did not consider these results to be very important for biological processes.
However, in the late nineteenth century, a vivid discussion was initiated, where
chemists and biologists discussed the implication of chirality for natural processes.
These discussions lasted relatively long (until the early years of the twentieth
century) and were one of those typical examples in the history of science, where
unconventional researchers, leaving the traditional ways of scientific thinking, had to
fight against ignorance raised by the established scientific community and had to
struggle, in order to break through the wall of traditions.
1.5 Chirality as Indicator Feature for Living Processes
Today, the crucial role of chirality in life-defining processes is undisputed anymore.
According to our current scientific understanding, a homochiral environment, created by enantiomeric pure forms of amino acids (L-forms) and here from deriving
peptides and proteins as well as nucleic acids (D-forms), is the basic foundations for
the complex physiological processes creating life in the biosphere.
1.5.1 Chirality as Tools for the Search of Extraterrestrial Life
According to today’s understanding, molecular chirality is acknowledged as a basic
feature for living processes (Fuss 2009; Hein and Blackmond 2012; Woolf 2015).
For the past decades, the origin of life is still vividly debated in science (Brack et al.
1998; Burke and Henderson 2002; Cintas 2008; Fuss 2009; Barron 2012a, b). On the
one hand, evolutionary scientists explain the continuous evolutionary principles of
living processes as exclusive adoptions to terrestrial environments. This theory is
supported by many renowned scientists acknowledging that the evolutionary development of living processes and organisms is exclusively terrestrial (Soffen 1986;
Bonner 1998; Breslow and Cheng 2009; Brack et al. 2010; Pizzarello and Shock
2010; Spitzer 2013). Other experts, however, discuss and investigate the introduction of important building blocks, for example, complex organic chemicals like
amino acids and peptides, for the evolution of life on earth by the action of extraterrestrial sources like meteorites and comets. This hypothesis is also supported by
the presence of amino acid-like organic molecules found in archived meteorites and
other extra-terrestrial materials collected from the earth’s surface (Donaldson et al.
1.5 Chirality as Indicator Feature for Living Processes
5