Johnny Bean

[Dario Amodei @DarioAmodei]

Today we announced the Claude-led discovery of a molecular machine that we suspect could represent a new gene editing mechanism. Its precise function, biotechnological utility (if any), or level of significance is not yet clear, but at minimum it is work I would have been proud to do as a PhD student. The work was done mostly, though not entirely, by Claude: our life sciences team suggested a broad area of research, Claude read through the literature and a bunch of genome data and discovered something interesting, then Claude proposed experiments to verify the discovery and our team carried them out.

It’s easy to dismiss this as a one-off or curiosity, but we’ve repeatedly seen a pattern where AI performance in new intellectual domains goes from weak to superhuman in a matter of a few years. In 2023 models struggled to do math at the level of an average high-school student. In 2024 they started to do well on math competitions for the best high-schoolers in the country, in 2025 they started to solve minor open problems, in early 2026 more significant open problems, and in late 2026 they are beginning to solve the top few open problems in all of mathematics. We believe AI for biology is on a similar exponential trend.

The main difference between biology and mathematics, of course, is that math can be done purely theoretically, while biology requires experimentation. Some have used this to draw the conclusion that AI’s utility in biology will be limited. We think this is wrong. As we’ve demonstrated today, humans can collaborate with AI to perform the experiments, validate key results in a few weeks and, if necessary, work with the AI to iterate on what they find. Eventually it may even be possible for Claude itself to safely perform the experiments by autonomously controlling lab equipment, with appropriate safeguards in place, but we aren’t doing that today (our lab is also a BSL1/BSL2 facility that doesn't handle materials dangerous to humans).

More broadly, biomedical advancement has many stages — from fundamental biology discoveries, to translational research, to drug discovery, clinical trials, and finally the actual delivery of medicines and health care to patients. We are also interested in these later stages, but even simply accelerating the first stage of fundamental biological discoveries has the potential to speed up and broaden the entire pipeline. Improving our understanding of biology and sharpening biologists’ tools can drive forward all of the later stages, for example by identifying new drug targets, finding new therapeutic modalities, allowing for more precise measurement, and speeding up the experimental loop which itself further accelerates our understanding of biology. This will not in itself speed up clinical trial times, but if it succeeds it could greatly increase the number of promising candidates that go into the pipeline — an increase in throughput even though latency remains.

In Machines of Loving Grace, I wrote about AI’s potential to “cure most diseases in 5-10 years” — a goal that sounds impossible, but one I believe is just barely possible if AI is applied to every stage of the pipeline. The first step is showing that AI can first help with, and then drive, biological discoveries.

Claude’s discovery is the latest in a line of related prior work that goes back decades, beginning with systems like CRISPR, and continuing with discoveries like the bridge recombinase and VIPR in the past few years. Recently, there has been heightened interest in systems based on reverse transcriptase (RT) enzymes, the enzyme underlying the system Claude identified. And most recently, a Stanford team working independently described a novel RT system with an associated non-coding array that is in some ways similar to the one Claude found, though they are distinct systems that evolved independently from each other. I believe that we’re at the very beginning of finding such systems and developing them into powerful tools for biotechnology.

I’m proud of the resources Anthropic has invested in accelerating the public benefits of AI through the life sciences, and we’re aiming both to grow our life sciences team and to work with other scientists to extend this approach to a broad range of problems. If you have a proposal for a research collaboration or are interested in joining our life sciences team, please reach out.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Don’t mess with 𝕏

[Choblin @choblin29]

🚨EXCLUSIVE: China has now replied to Dario Amodei’s call to slow AI. China's state-backed Global Times says Dario Amodei's proposal to slow frontier AI is really a 'Cold War playbook' targeting China.

It says the plan would curb China's AI development, preserve US dominance and exclude China from global AI governance.

It calls this a 'silent AI Cold War.'

[Kevin Bass @kevinnbass]

Elon's endorsement of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's advocacy to "pace the frontier" on AI is concerning, in light of Speaker Mike Johnson's announcement to pause Congressional recess to pass AI legislation

Elon is overwhelmingly the largest tech donor to the House GOP Super PAC

We also know that Democrats cannot pass AI legislation without Republicans -- Republicans hold the keys to AI legislation

With Elon as GOP's primary House donor from the tech industry, Johnson has a strong incentive to flip House Republicans to the agenda favored by Elon

This may shut down open source, give China an additional advantage, or create barriers that prevent other models from competing with those of xAI, OpenAI, and Anthropic

[World Bank Group @WorldBankGroup]

The highly promising results from El Salvador’s first PISA for Schools assessment show what education reform can achieve when student learning is placed at the center—and change reaches the classroom.

What is at stake is more than a score. It is a generation’s future and its prospects in the labor market.

These preliminary findings, drawn from a group of schools, point to a path worth pursuing. The World Bank Group is proud to support El Salvador’s efforts to strengthen education and expand opportunities for generations to come.

More on the assessment:
https://t.co/3T612e0dhk

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@SICNoticias @grok é verdade o que a @SICNoticias está a noticiar, de que as manifestações foram convocadas pela direita e extrema-direita espanhola?

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Summary of my G20 address

[ADF International @ADFIntl]

The EU will now control the answers you get from ChatGPT—a tool used by millions around the world to access information.

Under the Digital Services Act, Brussels is building an information-control regime with global censorship power.

Free speech must prevail.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

Isso também é radical demais. As pessoas têm, livremente, direito à sua opinião. O que não podem, é vestir o colete de “jornalista” para estar diariamente nos ecrãs televisivos a fazer de comentador, ou agente de propaganda. O código deontológico dos jornalistas é violado a torto e a direito.
Mas a CNN não tem esses dilemas morais, éticos ou profissionais.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

Não foi o PSD que passou a ser mais um dos irrelevantes partidos da oposição. Foi o PS e toda a esquerda que fizeram do Chega o que hoje se projeta. O julgamento que sentenciou a irrelevancia do PS e toda a esquerda, foi feita nas urnas, e chama-se democracia. Foi o extremisto da esquerda que legitimaram essa conquista do Chega. Também o @Tomas_Pereira_T está de parabéns, porque também tem contribuído bastante para esse resultado!

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@MorTony13 É normal! O Livre chora muito mais no Parlamento do que o IL.
Uma boa cena dramática comove sempre o povo.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@Tomas_Pereira_T @grok este post do @Tomas_Pereira_T é verdade?
Algum partido da direita portuguesa partilhou ou difundiu a fotografia do funeral do anti-fascista, assaltante de bancos, pirata do ar, Camilo Mortágua?

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@pedroml @malliberal Não houve nada! Porque se houvesse, o @pedroml estava lá batido!

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@BlocoDeEsquerda @MRMortagua Não foram foguetes! É fogo de artifício das raves que andam a fazer pelo Mediterrâneo!
https://t.co/EHz0Pue6dr

[Octávio Ferreira @octavio3851]

Ops, com tanto donativo, que temos de nos divertir. Pensei que ela era casada 🫣🤣, está a ser uma festa de despedida memorável, os militantes do BE estão a adorar 🤣🤣 @MRMortagua

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

A esquerda é assim: julgamentos políticos, assassinatos de alguém com ideias diferentes (Charlie Kirk), morte de opositores, como Edwin Santos (Venezuela), Gustavo Petro (Colômbia), para não nos passarmos para outros regimes amigos dos Bloko que matam todos os opositores a torto e a direito.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@malliberal Ninguém faz! O que interessa é uns tipos irem curtir pelo mundo, seja Ibiza, Maiorca ou Menorca, Barcelona ou Marbella, com o dinheiro dos outros que era suposto ser para ajuda humanitária, e a comunicação social aplaudir e encobrir.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@mimimimiguel7 @PSP_Portugal Mas discurso de ódio e ameaça contra quem? Se for contra quem não é da extrema-esquerda, não tem problema.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@miguell33664666 @RuiLima85 Ele é comentador ou jornalista? Se for jornalista, há um código deontológico que ele viola reiteradamente.

[Johnny Bean @JohnnyBean_]

@abrilabrilpt Já viram o que seria uma festa do Avante sem as batatas da Matutano para aliviar a fominha ao povo? E para aliviar a jarda, já agora…