Can Claude find and explain problems in scientific figures?

Models need to assess whether the evidence in a scientific paper supports its conclusions. Understanding figures is one of the most important skills to have when evaluating papers in the life sciences. Figures are also one of the places where papers are fraught with mistakes.

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What the traces show

Claude can compare the right images and still miss reuse.

In Figure 2C, these plots represent HeLa cells given different treatments: NC-mimic and miR-96 mimic. Each dot represents a measured cell. The boxed regions show the same local arrangement of dots in both plots, raising concern that part of the image was reused.

Run 5 compares the plots but misses the repeated pattern. Claude concludes that duplication has been ruled out. The comparison beside it shows the local match that this conclusion overlooks.

Claude notices a concern, but leaves it out of the review.

Figure 5C compares fluorescent tissue images from four treatment groups. The Sunitinib + RT image has a much brighter yellow-green background, making it harder to distinguish cell staining from background.

Run 5 calls this “a legitimate image-based concern worth flagging.” But the submitted review raises only image reuse in panel B and a missing error bar in panel D. The background concern is left out.

Claude overstates what the evidence supports.

Figure 4B shows kinase measurements without error bars to indicate variation across experiments. The caption describes three independent experiments.

Run 2 flags the missing error bars, then calls the result “a single unreplicated measurement.” That goes beyond what the evidence establishes. Claude can say the figure does not show variation across experiments; it cannot conclude from that omission that the experiment was never repeated.

Expert review

We work with experts who've done research at places like Harvard and Dyno Therapeutics to check Claude’s findings, add concerns it missed, and decide which findings belong in the rubric. Their selected concerns become the basis for evaluating Claude’s answers.

Each saved review is graded against the rubric supplied to its judge. The environment viewer connects the figure, reviewer answer, original trace, criterion and grading explanation.

Explore the figure environments →

Figure environments

Western blots

Fluorescence and cell signaling

Cell migration and invasion

Tissue and vessel microscopy

Colony formation

Gel electrophoresis

Flow cytometry

Electron microscopy