🤖 Claude Discovered a System Resembling CRISPR

🤖 Claude Discovered a System Resembling CRISPR Claude autonomously discovered a novel enzyme system with an array of DNA repeats, similar to CRISPR—a bacterial immune mechanism that scientists use as "scissors" for genome editing. This is the first result from Anthropic's new biolab, where humans test AI hypotheses experimentally. 🔍 Scientists tasked Claude with finding unusual reverse transcriptases—enzymes that copy genetic information from RNA to DNA. The AI agents independently analyzed the sequences and searched for anomalies that might fall outside previously known criteria. Over 21 hours, approximately 950 AI agents used 210 million tokens and identified 3,500 potentially new systems, narrowing the list to the 20 most promising candidates. One agent drew attention to a "spectacular" array of repetitive sequences near the reverse transcriptase gene in the genomes of bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria). Previous studies had identified the enzyme itself, but no one had noticed the repeats and the adjacent gene with an unknown function. Anthropic notes that the set of features they found had previously been observed in only a few systems, including CRISPR, and all of them are programmable and capable of cutting, copying, and inserting DNA. That said, the authors still don't understand the primary function of their discovery, but they believe it's important to share the finding now to show AI's potential in scientific research. Can we trust AI with a biology lab? ❤️ — Yes, it's even necessary 🤔 — Probably not... @hiaimediaen