A new study proposes that interactions of supernova neutrinos with chiral molecules in nearby interstellar molecular clouds could be the source of biomolecular homochirality. Homochirality, the preference of biological systems for one of two mirror-image forms (L or D enantiomers) of organic molecules, is a fundamental mystery in the origin of life. Researchers have introduced neutrino interactions into autocatalytic chemical reactions, demonstrating how these interactions could create a directional bias that is then amplified.

The proposed mechanism relies on the weak interaction of neutrinos with chiral molecules. Although this interaction is intrinsically weak, the model suggests it can generate a considerable enantiomeric excess, exceeding 10%. This value is consistent with recent chemical analyses of meteorites, which often contain a slight excess of one enantiomer. The process is amplified by autocatalysis and stochastic fluctuations in a far-from-equilibrium system, allowing a small initial bias to propagate and become fixed.

The authors solved the stochastic equations using the Ito sense to describe the dynamics of the probability distribution of enantiomeric excesses. This framework provides a plausible astrophysical scenario for the delivery of homochirality seeds to Earth via meteorites. Furthermore, they scanned the model's parameter space, inferring values from observational data to explore the window of opportunity for generating initial homochiral states in interstellar molecular clouds. This work opens a window into understanding how particle physics might have influenced the earliest steps of life.