Thread

Claude discovers a novel enzyme system with CRISPR-like repeats

780 points · 805 comments · raahelb

Chance-Device · 1790190417 · focus · HN ↗
I think this approach of actually doing useful science is better PR than hiring an army of influencers to shill for you, OpenAI style.
Generally speaking, hiring an army of influencers to shill for you results in bad PR, and comments like this one.
1. the__alchemist · 1790191381 · focus · HN ↗
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  1. ethanj8011 · 1790199004 · focus · HN ↗
    I'm not going to say that it is absolutely Earth shattering (not that they claim that), but your comment is obviously wrong. In the paper they show experimental results where they express some of the proteins and show a phenotypic effect. They don't claim an exact function either, and are relatively restrained on the biology end of things. I fail to see how it is at the level of a vague shower thought.
    the__alchemist · 1790202668 · focus · HN ↗
    > Although we don’t yet know its function, the system that Claude discovered has a set of characteristics that have only ever been found together in a handful of other systems, all of which are programmable and perform operations like cutting, copying, and pasting DNA. Beyond CRISPR, which has already transformed science and medicine, several other such systems are now in development as promising tools.
    It's not novel, and they don't know if it means anything. They published it here for PR purposes.
    ethanj8011 · 1790344488 · focus · HN ↗
    This to me reads like an absolutely bog standard statement that would be made at any university PR piece about any novel nucleic acid system like this one. The paper itself will usually be more restrained but still attempt to gain some status via comparison.
    It also is clearly novel in the scientific sense. This is not a known system and it may resemble some attributes of similar systems but it differs substantially in its arrangement, since it's not clearly a retron.
    As for if it is for PR. Yes, I don't disagree about that.
2. binlog · 1790191516 · focus · HN ↗
  You really think there aren’t an equal number of Claude influencers on social media?
  1. Chance-Device · 1790192013 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes, I think there aren’t an equivalent number of Claude influencers on social media.
    Is there an equivalent headline for Anthropic of this?: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-open-ai-influencer-marketing-strategy-chatgpt-ads-sponsorships-instagram-2026-9" rel="nofollow">https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-open-ai-influencer-ma...
    binlog · 1790193193 · focus · HN ↗
    Takes 2 minutes to search for news beyond the HN front page - <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creator...
    Chance-Device · 1790195116 · focus · HN ↗
    The point I am making is that it would be better if these companies are going to compete and spend more and more money for PR that they do it in a way that benefits society, which paying influencers does not do.
    Let me know when OpenAI starts actively trying to cure diseases.
  2. foxrider · 1790192102 · focus · HN ↗
    Personally I feel like Anthropic is underrepresented in "normie" marketing, all of my non-tech savy friends only know of ChatGPT and use "ChatGPT" in the same way my mom says "Nintendo" when talking about game consoles
    binlog · 1790193043 · focus · HN ↗
    On the other hand Anthropic has a monopoly on the vibe coder/tech influencer/“podcast bro” market. Claude has been pushed very hard in that ecosystem.

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