sprma

Sprma is a fictional term used in speculative biology and science fiction to denote a minimal hereditary information carrier or self-replicating unit, analogous to a primitive genome. The term does not refer to any recognized biological molecule in real-world science and is primarily used as a conceptual placeholder in worldbuilding and theoretical discussions about the origins of life.

In typical depictions, a sprma is smaller and chemically simpler than DNA or RNA, encoding a limited set of instructions or structural templates. It can replicate with errors, interact with a proto-cell framework or compartment, and be subject to natural selection that produces increasingly complex functions over time. Sprma-based models are often employed to illustrate how simple informational systems might give rise to more elaborate genetic chemistry.

Etymology is varied; some authors link sprma to “sprout” or “spore,” while others treat it as an acronym or fictional shorthand for “self-replicating molecular asset.” There is no canonical definition, and the concept is not standardized across works.

In fiction and related worldbuilding discussions, sprma serves as a device to explore abiogenesis, heredity, and the transition from simple replicators to complex genomes. Outside of fiction, the term has no formal standing in biology, chemistry, or genetics, and is not used in scientific literature as a real category or mechanism.