In the future, there could be materials that can reconfigure themselves on demand, adapting their structure and properties like living organisms. A team of Japanese scientists have created a supramolecular polymer system that transforms into 1D, 2D, or 3D structures by adjusting light intensity. This work demonstrates a non-biological system that changes its structure or state depending on the amount of energy it receives, much like living organisms. How dimensionally distinct supramolecular structures arise under different light intensities. “This out-of-equilibrium supramolecular system paves the way for developing highly functional materials that can alter their states in response to external stimuli, much like living systems,” concluded Yagai.