Claude finds unknown CRISPR-like enzyme system in virus DNA

Anthropic said September 23, 2026 its Bay Area biology lab found a previously unknown enzyme system hidden in bacteriophage DNA, viruses that infect bacteria, with properties reminiscent of CRISPR, the gene-editing tool. The system can cut, copy and paste DNA. CEO Dario Amodei said it was found mostly, though not entirely, by Claude, with human scientists doing lab validation.