Claude discovers a novel enzyme system with CRISPR-like repeats Sep 23, 2026

https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-discovers-novel-enzyme-system?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9cPLBMSEcYlQsQlvZMauLelxN7kxpV5X5Iu0ifgjeQaGIeEQkqGWDlyBgMh86OcuCqZbnIapQKkrJaKqZDPSDXjuRnpg&_hsmi=441235571&utm_content=441235571&utm_source=hs_email About Claude’s newest scientific ‘breakthrough’ … Claude discovered the next CRISPR … or did it? Anthropic last week announced that Claude had found a new enzyme system with a series of repeats in DNA, saying that it was “a pattern reminiscent of CRISPR.” CRISPR is the technology that research scientists use in the laboratory to modify the DNA of living organisms. It was adapted from naturally occurring editing systems found in bacteria. But some experts have been disappointed by the way Anthropic is marketing this discovery. “Finding a weird cluster of genes and repeats is often the easy part,” wrote Lucas Harrington, co-founder of Preventive and Mammoth Biosciences, who earned his Ph.D. in the lab of CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna. “The hard part, and where the real discoveries come from, is figuring out what the system actually does.” Anthropic itself says that it does not yet know what this system’s function is, meaning there’s still a possibility that it’s nothing. While it is helpful that Anthropic is sharing this early in its discovery process, and the project illustrates how AI might be useful in scientific pursuits, it’s hard not to feel like this is marketing for Claude’s scientific capabilities as Anthropic approaches its long-awaited IPO. Who corrects all these feel-good headlines if, after lab investigations, it turns out to have no value? — Brittany Trang https://x.com/CRISPR_LuCas/status/2102878373160906938?s=20&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-88ss6G1WoOrFW2yZCMeaapZgmnClgbG2cP9-sAvcPTrVsBD8QkgwBCPCMPyqTA03fiDiVKkJv8rZ8KbQNdA3YrMX7Zqg&_hsmi=441235571&utm_content=441235571&utm_source=hs_email