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Why should we talk about "same enzymes"? There's a 50% chance to have "other enzymes" working for the other orientation, whenever we find life similar to ours (which it doesn't have to be). Or is there any reason why other orientation cannot exist?


For any multistep reaction there is a strong likelihood that "other enzymes" would make something that does not work for the next step (depends on the 3d shape not fitting in the next enzyme). So at best some of the intermediary products for each organism with opposite chirality enzymes may not work in the other, at worst, it may be actively poisonous. Since time + competition breeds monopoly one would expect to see only one per competition zone (i.e. planet) given sufficient time. You could see both if there was an active breakdown mechanism developed in each that allowed minimally inefficient usage of the others resources (i.e. we see this on a macro level with things like lobster blood using copper instead of iron and being blue. We can still eat each other no problem without getting sick so there's no pressure to get rid of the one system)


If you’re talking about hypothetical extraterrestrial life that evolved separately- sure. But as far as we know all life, at least on earth has a common ancestor and is heavily locked into the existing enzymes and substrates- basic central carbon metabolism is virtually identical in all living things.




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