Anthropic: Claude Discovered an Unknown CRISPR-like Enzyme System in Phage DNA
RichmanRonald · x · 2026-09-24
Anthropic announced that Claude uncovered a previously unknown enzyme system hidden in bacteriophage DNA: next to the enzyme's gene sits a long array of repeating DNA resembling CRISPR. Its function is unknown, but only a handful of known systems share its features — all of which can cut, copy, and paste DNA, the class of programmable systems that historically enabled revolutions like CRISPR-based genetic medicine.
Quoting researcher DeryaTR praised the work but flagged a double standard: any other scientist attempting this via Claude would likely be flagged as a biosecurity threat, while equally trained and regulated researchers at NIH and top US biomedical institutions lack access to these models entirely.
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