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Anthropic AI discovery of ART enzymatic system

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-27 21:39 UTC → 2026-09-28 21:32 UTC · added removed

Anthropic has announced the discovery of a new biological system, named Array-Associated Reverse Transcriptases (ART), using its Claude AI models. The discovery was made through an automated search conducted by approximately 950 Claude-based agents over a 21-hour period, during which they analyzed over 200,000 reverse transcriptases within massive genetic databases. Found within the DNA of bacteriophages, the ART system consists of a reverse transcriptase enzyme, an adjacent gene, and a long array of regularly spaced DNA repeats. While the structure bears a resemblance to the CRISPR gene-editing mechanism, researchers noted there is currently no evidence that ART functions as an advanced CRISPR system or can be used for gene editing. Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, noted that the AI identified the pattern in genomic data and proposed experiments for human scientists to validate. Laboratory testing has confirmed that the repeating sequences in the ART system transcribe into RNA, producing various short RNA molecules. However, the specific biological function of these molecules and the broader role of the ART system within the bacteriophage remain under investigation. Recent claims regarding the novelty of the discovery have been disputed by Mario Rodríguez Mestre, a computational biologist at the University of Copenhagen. Mestre asserts that he and his colleagues have been studying these enzymes, which they refer to as ‘jumbotrons’, since 2022. He further claims his team had shared unpublished research details through Anthropic’s Claude models, raising questions about the independence of the AI’s findings. While some experts, including MIT professor Feng Zhang, view the identification as an exciting example of AI’s potential in biology, the dispute highlights tensions between human research and machine learning outputs.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-28 21:32 UTC Anthropic AI discovery of ART enzymatic system
  2. 2026-09-27 21:39 UTC Anthropic AI discovery of ART enzymatic system
  3. 2026-09-27 08:13 UTC Anthropic AI discovery of ART enzymatic system

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