MIRROR-IMAGE ASYMMETRY -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- LIST OF FIGURES AND BIOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS -- 1 THE MIRROR IMAGE -- HANDEDNESS -- THE SYMMETRY OF NONSUPERIMPOSABLE MIRROR IMAGES -- NOMENCLATURE FOR CHIRAL MOLECULES -- NOMENCLATURE FOR DISSYMMETRIC AND OTHER CHIRAL MOLECULES -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF BIOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS, SIDEBARS, AND FIGURES -- 2 MOLECULAR CHIRALITY IN LIVING SYSTEMS -- OPTICAL ROTATION -- FROM BIOT TO PASTEUR -- BIOCHEMICAL HOMOCHIRALITY -- DETERMINATION OF ABSOLUTE STRUCTURES OF CHIRAL MOLECULES -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF BIOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS, SIDEBARS, AND FIGURES -- 3 THE ORIGIN OF CHIRALITY IN LIVING SYSTEMS -- MUST LIFE BE CHIRAL? -- MIRROR-IMAGE LIFE? -- THE ORIGIN OF HOMOCHIRALITY IN LIVING SYSTEMS -- EXTRATERRESTRIAL CHIRALITY -- NUCLEAR CHIRALITY -- OTHER EXTRATERRESTRIAL SOURCES -- THE BEGINNING OF LIFE ON EARTH: BIOCHEMISTRY -- GETTING STARTED IN THE RIGHT (OR LEFT) DIRECTION -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF SIDEBARS AND FIGURES -- 4 CHIRAL CHEMISTRY, RECOGNITION, AND CONTROL IN LIVING SYSTEMS -- CHIRAL CHEMICAL EVOLUTION -- CHIRAL RECOGNITION AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL -- EXAMPLES OF CHIRAL RECOGNITION AND DISCRIMINATION -- SMELL -- TASTE -- COMMUNICATION -- CHIRALITY AS A CONTROL MECHANISM IN BIOCHEMISTRY -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF BIOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS, SIDEBARS, AND FIGURES -- 5 CHIRALITY AND DRUGS -- CHIRALITY IN NATURAL REMEDIES AND FOLK MEDICINES -- ENANTIOMERIC DIFFERENCES IN NATURAL PRODUCTS -- THALIDOMIDE AND REGULATION OF CHIRAL DRUGS -- CHIRALITY AND DRUG ACTIVITY -- IBUPROFEN -- PROZAC -- CIALIS -- NEXIUM -- LIPITOR -- CHIRAL SWITCHING -- EPHEDRINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, AND METHAMPHETAMINE -- PREPARATION OF PURE ENANTIOMERS -- SUMMARY.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF BIOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS, SIDEBARS, AND FIGURES -- 6 THE CHIRALITY OF LIVING SYSTEMS -- PRELIMINARY CAUTIONS -- CHIRALITY IN NATURE -- CLASSIFICATION OF PLANT AND ANIMAL CHIRALITY (ASYMMETRY) -- SYMMETRIC LIFE -- RACEMIC LIFE -- ASYMMETRIC LIFE -- HOMO SAPIENS ASYMMETRY -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF SIDEBARS AND FIGURES -- 7 THE HANDEDNESS OF HOMO SAPIENS -- ARE YOU RIGHT-HANDED OR LEFT-HANDED? -- THE STATISTICS OF HANDEDNESS -- THE ORIGIN OF LEFT-HANDEDNESS -- THE HUMAN GENETICS OF HANDEDNESS -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF SIDEBARS AND FIGURES -- 8 LIVING IN A RIGHT-HANDER'S WORLD -- CLOCKWISE AND COUNTERCLOCKWISE (OR ANTICLOCKWISE) ROTATION -- HELICAL STAIRWAYS -- AROUND THE HOUSE -- MAKING MUSIC LEFT-HANDED -- THE CHIRALITY OF WRITING -- SPORTS AND THE LEFT-HANDER -- AMERICAN BASEBALL: THE CHIRAL SPORT -- DRIVING ON THE LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE -- WINDMILLS -- SUMMARY -- SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING -- REFERENCES -- LIST OF SIDEBARS AND FIGURES -- 9 THE ASYMMETRIC UNIVERSE -- LIST OF FIGURES -- APPENDIX -- BIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.