Claude has discovered a previously unknown enzyme system hidden in the DNA of bacteriophages.

Beside the enzyme’s gene sits a long array of repeating DNA a structure that looks somewhat similar to CRISPR.

Anthropic don’t yet understand what this system does, but only a handful of known systems share its features, and all of them are able to cut, copy, and paste DNA.

Historically, the discovery of such programmable systems has helped revolutionize medicine.

CRISPR, for instance, is now the foundation of genetic medicines. But it will take much more work to learn what this system does, and whether it can be put to similar use.