When we cut our finger, the small cut heals. Even broken bones can grow back together and heal. Nature offers many more examples of (self-)healing, including impressive ones such as the regrowth of entire limbs, as seen in the axolotl. While these examples of self-healing are a given in nature, the same cannot be said for synthetic materials, such as plastics. Damage inevitably leads to the loss of the desired properties or functions and often ultimately results in the replacement of the materials or components. Are there any approaches that could, for example, make a scratch in the paint of a new car disappear again? In the field of plastics and polymers, many approaches have been investigated in recent years—including here at the University of Jena. The lecture will present various approaches for “breathing life” into what is essentially a dead material. Self-healing polymers can (partially) restore their original properties after sustaining damage.