Dario Amodei: Claude discovered a novel enzyme system that may be a new gene-editing mechanism
DarioAmodei · x · 2026-09-24
Anthropic announced a Claude-led discovery of a previously unknown enzyme system in bacteriophage DNA, sitting beside a CRISPR-like array of repeats. Only a handful of known systems share its features, and all can cut, copy, and paste DNA — historically a hallmark of revolutionary programmable systems like CRISPR.
Dario Amodei details the workflow: the life sciences team suggested a broad area, then Claude read the literature and genome data, found the signal, and proposed verification experiments the team executed. He frames it as work he'd have been proud of as a PhD student, and sees a pattern of AI going from weak to superhuman in new domains within a few years.
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