Biological Security: The Risk of Dual-Use Research

By Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs United States Senate and U.S. Senate

Life sciences research is vital to improving public health, agriculture, and the environment, and to strengthening our national security and economy. Yet the very research designed to find ways to better the health, welfare and safety of mankind can also yield information or technologies that could potentially be misused for harmful purposes. For instance, information from certain life sciences research can be misapplied to create dangerous pathogens for employment as weapons, bypass or diminish the effectiveness of medical countermeasures, or threaten in other ways the health and safety of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Research yielding new technologies or information with the potential for both benevolent and malevolent applications is referred to as "dual use research." Some degree of dual use potential may be inherent in a significant portion of life sciences research. However, the small subset of life sciences research with the highest potential for yielding knowledge, products, or technology that could be misapplied to threaten public health or national security is referred to as "dual use research of concern."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1480232505
• ISBN13: 9781480232501
• Release Date: November 2012
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.2" x 8.5"