The Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday was awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis."

Kagan, who is 95 years old and was born in France, is affiliated with France’s Université Paris-Sud, and Soai, who is 76 years old and was born in Japan, is based at the Tokyo University of Science.

The scientists share the Nobel Prize for answering longstanding questions in chemistry about life's origins.

Specifically, the duo solved an age-old mystery that has long puzzled chemists: some molecules, like amino acids, exist as two variants that are mirror images of one another, but just one of the variants out of the two is found in living organisms.

The two answered questions about why life chooses one variant over another.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winner in Stockholm.

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