title: Parity violation and the evolution of biomolecular homochirality.
abstract: Parity violation at the level of terrestrial biopolymers, as seen in proteins, DNAs, and RNAs, and parity violation at the level of nuclear processes, as evident in longitudinally polarized beta-particles and parity-violating energy differences (PVEDs), are discussed and their fundamental importances are emphasized. Attempts to find a causal connection between the unique homochirality of biopolymers and parity violation at the nuclear level, and speculations that the former is a consequence of the latter, are reviewed. Consideration of all lines of evidence leads to the conclusion that there is no substantiation for such a causal connection, and that the two levels of parity violation are entirely independent of each other.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bonner
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D004583:Electrons; D011522:Protons; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D011522:Protons