Anthropic says its Claude AI discovers a previously uncharacterised enzyme system in bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria. The company reports that the system’s gene is located near a long run of repeating DNA sequences that resemble a CRISPR array. Anthropic says it has not yet determined what the enzyme system does or what biological role it plays.
Anthropic’s announcement is based on AI-guided analysis of DNA data, using many Claude “agents” that search for candidate patterns. According to one report, this search runs over about 21 hours across numerous agents. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, frames the work as early progress in applying AI to biology, while emphasizing that the system’s function and significance remain unclear. External experts quoted by one outlet say the finding merits further study.
