950 Claude agents, 21 hours: AI autonomously discovers new enzyme system ART
Dr_Singularity · x · 2026-09-24
In an Anthropic effort, 950 Claude agents spent 21 hours and 210 million tokens searching massive DNA databases for novel reverse transcriptases, with humans limited to the initial prompt and lab work. One agent spotted a repeating DNA pattern beside an odd-looking RT gene; lab analysis confirmed a previously uncharacterized bacteriophage enzyme system, dubbed array-associated reverse transcriptases (ART), with CRISPR-like repeats — a landmark case of AI agents making genuine biological discoveries autonomously.
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