What We Do
The U.S. National Science Foundaiton Center for the Creation of Abiotic Replicating Materials and Assemblies (NSF CARMA), supported by the Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program, is devoted to the systematic development of non-living self-replicating systems — a grand challenge in chemistry.
NSF CARMA aims to create a new type of chemical system using non-biological materials that can replicate and evolve like living organisms. This research could lead to materials that can heal themselves, similar to how our bodies recover from injuries.
In addition to conducting fundamental research, NSF CARMA holds annual week-long workshops for graduate students, involves high school students in university labs and is involved with outreach programs that engage K-6 children and their families in the Spanish-speaking community with science.
Why It Matters
Society is facing formidable challenges associated with the mass production of non-sustainable synthetic materials. These materials lack circular life cycles: they do not break down, heal or grow in ways that echo nature. As a result, staggering amounts of energy are required for synthesizing and separating chemicals required for large-scale manufacturing and its aftermath.
Self-replicating synthetic materials would represent a major shift, enabling new anti-fragile or circular lifespan materials that will avoid environmental waste associated with end-of-life disposal for common synthetic materials.
The Vision
Self-replicating materials that are not from nature may sound straight out of science fiction, but creating synthetic materials that can self-replicate in lifelike ways would bring countless benefits. Learning lessons from living molecules like DNA, a team of NSF CARMA scientists and researchers stand ready to develop the building blocks for new materials. Resulting materials would not be living, but instead capable of important lifelike actions: self-healing, adaptation to the environment, growth and the ability to be programmed for particular functions.