Which of the following best defines dual-use research in bioethics?

• A. Research with purely beneficial applications.
• B. Research with potential for beneficial and harmful applications.
• C. Research conducted only in clinical settings.
• D. Research that cannot be disseminated.

Answer: (B)

Dual-use research in bioethics means work that could yield important benefits for health or knowledge but also has the potential to be misused in harmful ways. The correct description recognizes both sides—the beneficial possibilities and the risks of misuse.

If research is described as purely beneficial, it ignores the real possibility that the same knowledge or methods could be turned to cause harm. The setting of the research (clinical vs. other) doesn’t define dual-use, and whether the work can be disseminated isn’t the defining feature either; many dual-use concerns hinge on the dual potential for good and for misuse, not on where it’s done or whether it can be shared.