With the emergence of biotechnology companies, it was feared that they would impose silence about proprietary results on their in-house researchers and their academic consultants. This constraint, in turn, would slow the development of biological science and engineering.

Which of the following, if true, would tend to weaken most seriously the prediction of scientific secrecy described above?

• ABiotechnological research funded by industry has reached some conclusions that are of major scientific importance.  
• BWhen the results of scientific research are kept secret, independent researchers are unable to build on those results.  
• CSince the research priorities of biotechnology companies are not the same as those of academic institutions, the financial support of research by such companies distorts the research agenda.  
• DTo enhance the companies' standing in the scientific community, the biotechnology companies encourage employees to publish their results, especially results that are important.  
• EBiotechnology companies devote some of their research resources to problems that are of fundamental scientific importance and that are not expected to produce immediate practical applications.