DOMINANT ANGLE
Lima takes note of the pharmaceutical aspect of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: the Peruvian press presents Kagan and Soai's discovery as a tool for manufacturing medicines, with thalidomide as an example.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday, October 7, for resolving a mystery about the existence of molecules in a single form in nature (Andina, El Comercio).
- 02
Heiner Linke, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry: the laureates provided "a solution to a chemical mystery dating back over a century" and their reactions are "spectacular" (Andina).
- 03
El Comercio cites thalidomide, prescribed from 1956, effective in its left-handed form and toxic in its right-handed form, to illustrate the pharmaceutical stakes.
ANALYSIS
Lima, October 8, 2026. The Peruvian press is treating the Nobel Prize in Chemistry as a scientific news item with concrete implications. Andina, the public agency, dated its dispatch from Stockholm on October 7: Frenchman Henri Kagan and Japanese Kenso Soai received the prize this Wednesday "for having solved one of the mysteries of life", namely why certain molecules in nature only appear in one form. Both media outlets, Andina and El Comercio, use the same formulation: an advance "fundamental for the development of medications".
The texts explain the principle using the image of hands. Certain molecules, known as chiral, exist in "right" or "left" versions depending on how they reflect light, with identical physical properties but very different biological effects. Almost all amino acids have two specular variants, but only one is found in the proteins of cells. This phenomenon, "homoquiralidad", was described by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The Nobel Committee is quoted in a statement: their discoveries played "a decisive role for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products". They allow for "triggering chemical reactions that lead to homochirality". Andina also reports the words of Heiner Linke, president of the committee: the two laureates have provided "a solution to a chemical mystery that dates back over a century", and their reactions are "spectacular".
El Comercio illustrates the issue with thalidomide, an anti-nausea medication prescribed from 1956, effective in its left form and toxic in its right form. The text sees this as proof that molecular asymmetry can have enormous consequences.
Andina adds a reminder: studies related to this concept had already been awarded in 2001, but Professor Kagan, considered in France and elsewhere as the "father" of the technique, had not received the prize, which had sparked protests at the time. Peruvian coverage thus remains focused on chemistry and pharmacy, without a national angle or commentary from local researchers.
