Anthropic’s biolab made a discovery it’s comparing to Crispr
Anthropic says its AI Claude has "autonomously discovered" a new enzyme system similar to machinery behind the powerful gene-editing tool Crispr. It's the first result from Anthropic's newly-launched wet lab and an early test of Claude's usefulness for science as the company prepares to go public. The company says Claude found the enzyme system after searching through a massive database of DNA sequences, adding that its scientists' involvement was limited to the initial prompt
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An AI company's biolab announced it discovered a new enzyme system by having nearly 950 AI agents autonomously search through DNA sequences over 21 hours, ultimately identifying a previously uncharacterized enzyme system found in viruses that infect bacteria. The company is comparing this discovery to Crispr, the gene-editing technology, though it remains unclear whether the enzyme system will have any practical applications or transformative potential. The announcement is early and premature, made partly to demonstrate the AI's scientific capabilities and attract more scientists to the lab as the company prepares to expand into areas like drug discovery. The discovery reflects a broader trend of AI companies turning to scientific research to prove the value of their more advanced models.
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