Anthropic confirmed it has established a wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area for physical biology experiments, while declining to specify whether the facility is tied to drug discovery. Reuters reported the lab’s existence, and Anthropic’s life sciences head told the agency that it is “not for drug discovery specifically,” while framing the work as early-stage. The confirmation comes amid Anthropic’s broader life sciences push, including the acquisition of Coefficient Bio and the release of Claude Science for laboratory research use. Anthropic also pointed to continued reliance on external partners for some work, indicating the wet lab is additive rather than a complete shift to in-house experimentation. For the industry, the move highlights how major AI labs are attempting to bridge the gap between simulated biology and bench execution—an operational step that could accelerate iteration loops, but also heightens scrutiny about safeguards and governance in biology-adjacent computing.