Anthropic's Claude Claims New Enzyme Discovery Amid CRISPR Researchers' Skepticism

Anthropic's Claude AI analyzed 200,000 reverse transcriptases over 21 hours using 950 AI agents, resulting in claims of discovering a new enzyme system. This follows the opening of Anthropic's Bay Area biology lab in spring 2026. However, Lucas Harrington, a PhD student under Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna at Mammoth Biosciences, criticized the findings as routine genome mining, stating that similar systems have been known since 2008. Harrington emphasized that the challenge lies in understanding the function of these systems, asserting that Anthropic has not demonstrated this capability. He remarked, "Presenting early results as a major discovery isn't helpful," highlighting the need for more substantial evidence in the field.