Chemistry
How Chirality Affects Drug Efficacy and Safety
Quick fact
The drug thalidomide, prescribed for morning sickness in the 1950s, had two mirror-image forms: one treated nausea, the other caused severe birth defects. This tragedy is a stark lesson in chirality.
Why this is interesting
You take a painkiller expecting relief, but your body might only respond to half the molecules — the other half could be useless or even dangerous. Why would identical chemical formulas behave so differently?