Fundamental Physical Science

Novel methods, tools, and approaches to better understand social systems and dynamics in a national security context

In early September, DARPA hosted Wait, What? A Future Technology Forum in St. Louis. There, 1400 people gathered for a national discussion and showcase of new ideas and advances in the technoscape, among them optical techniques for seeing around corners and neural interfaces that allow people with paralysis to control a prosthetic limb by thought alone. At the forum, DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office (DSO) ran a pair of breakout sessions titled Science, Disrupted: Beyond the Limits of Intuition, Computation and Measurement, with the hope of learning from attendees what they imagine could throttle up science into an even more powerful engine of discovery and technology than it is now.

The value of synthetic chemistry is far-reaching, ranging from medicines to advanced materials. While the field has developed rapidly over the last century, major challenges remain including the slow pace of discovery and limited reproducibility and scalability once a promising new molecule is identified.