Scientists propose method to detect hypothetical "mirror life"

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde and Durham University have proposed the first technique to detect "mirror life," a hypothetical form of life built from mirror-image molecules. The method relies on circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and fluorescent probes that bind to cellular structures. Mirror life does not yet exist; the approach is meant as a precaution.

• The method uses circularly polarized luminescence signals to reveal molecular chirality
• Combining several fluorescent probes targeting different cell structures improves reliability
• The technique can be refined on ordinary biological samples without creating mirror organisms
• The study was published in Royal Society Open Science, led by Lewis MacKenzie