The trick: Narrowed Superlative
Anthropic says Claude discovered a CRISPR-like enzyme system.
Its own post says the function is not yet known, The Next Web reports all ten reruns of the search missed the array, and a Copenhagen researcher says his unpublished work describes the same finding.
On 23 September Anthropic said Claude discovered a novel enzyme system with properties reminiscent of CRISPR, with only high-level direction from its scientists. Dario Amodei called it a Claude-led discovery of a molecular machine that Anthropic suspects could represent a new gene editing mechanism, in a post quoted by CNN's report carried by WCPO.
Before you read on. Your call?
TRUE, BUT
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Anthropic's own post says its work to understand the primary function is ongoing, and The Next Web reports the preprint has not yet shown the enzyme is active. The post also says the underlying enzyme had been identified in previous studies.
The twist
The Next Web reports Anthropic ran the same search ten more times and all ten missed the array. And Mario Rodríguez Mestre, a University of Copenhagen doctoral researcher, told CNN his unpublished research describes the same viral signatures, while saying he cannot demonstrate that Anthropic took his work. Anthropic did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
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The trick has a name
We call it Narrowed Superlative: first or fastest, inside a quietly narrowed category. You'll see it again. Learn to spot it →
Receipts
- Supports anthropic.com:
Claude discovered a novel enzyme system with properties reminiscent of CRISPR, with only high-level direction from our scientists.
- Supports wcpo.com:
Today we announced the Claude-led discovery of a molecular machine that we suspect could represent a new gene editing mechanism
- Context anthropic.com:
Our work to understand the primary function of ARTs is ongoing.
- Context anthropic.com:
Although we don't yet know its function
- Refutes thenextweb.com:
The preprint says the team has not yet shown that the enzyme is active, or that it works on these RNAs.
- Context anthropic.com:
While this underlying RT, found in a jumbo phage, had been identified in previous studies
- Context anthropic.com:
Claude appears to be the first to notice the system's defining features
- Refutes thenextweb.com:
Anthropic ran the same campaign ten more times. No rerun read the DNA upstream of the enzyme, and all ten missed the array.
- Refutes wcpo.com:
It is essentially the same finding.
- Context wcpo.com:
I am not claiming that Anthropic deliberately took our work. I cannot demonstrate that
- Context wcpo.com:
Anthropic did not respond to an emailed request to comment.
- Context anthropic.com:
Our involvement was limited to the initial prompt and the lab work
- Context anthropic.com:
After 21 hours spent searching this data by roughly 950 agents using 210 million tokens
- Context anthropic.com:
genuinely intriguing and merits further investigation
- Context wcpo.com:
It's not unusual in the scientific process for different research groups to converge on the same result
- Context wcpo.com:
many scientists may think twice in the future about inputting their unpublished results into these tools
- Context anthropic.com:
an associated array of non-coding DNA sequences and an additional accessory protein of unknown function
- Context wcpo.com:
Either information related to our work somehow reached the model and it was trained on it. The second possibility, which I currently think is more plausible, is that there was considerably more prior scientific knowledge and human direction behind the search than the phrase 'autonomous discovery' suggests
- Context anthropic.com:
After reviewing the pre-print, Feng Zhang, one of the pioneers of CRISPR genome editing and a professor at MIT and the Broad Institute, said
- Refutes wcpo.com:
just days after Anthropic's announcement, Mario Rodríguez Mestre, who said he used Claude extensively for his recently completed doctoral research at the University of Copenhagen, claimed his unpublished research describes the same viral signatures
- Context wcpo.com:
Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, said on social media
- Context anthropic.com:
one of the agents spotted something remarkable: a repeating pattern of DNA sequences that occurs next to the gene for an odd-looking RT
- Context anthropic.com:
We're introducing a new life sciences research group and laboratory at Anthropic.
- Context anthropic.com:
we think it is important to share such findings early
Open the Receipts Pack → What each source proves, every figure traced, and what would change our verdict.
