Final answer:
Bilateral symmetry refers to organisms that can be divided into two symmetrical halves along a unique plane, resulting in mirror-image left and right sides.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of bilateral symmetry is fundamental in biology and it refers to a condition where an object, or in this case, an organism, can be divided into two symmetrical parts across a unique plane, commonly known as a mirror plane. This type of symmetry is characterized by the presence of a single plane (known as the sagittal plane in biological terms) that bisects the body into two halves that are mirror images of each other.
A typical example of animals with bilateral symmetry includes humans and most vertebrates, where if an imaginary line is drawn from the front to back or top to bottom, the two halves mirror each other. In contrast, radial symmetry is where the symmetry is around a central axis, like in starfish or jellyfish.
Another application of symmetry is found in chemistry, where enantiomers are molecules that are nonsuperimposable mirror images of each other, and this is important in the study of stereoisomerism. Enantiomers have the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms (constitution), but they differ in the three-dimensional orientations of their atoms in space. This has significant implications in biochemical processes and the pharmaceutical industry, as enantiomers can exhibit different biological activity due to their shape-specific interactions with biological molecules like enzymes and receptors.