A new arms race is emerging, thanks to a revolution in weaponry -- and anyone can play. It's not just nukes anymore -- robot and soldiers, blinding lasers and mind-control devices loom in our future. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a terrifying glimpse into the future of war, as well as burning memories of wars past.

SEGMENT 1

David Shukman is a BBC correspondent and the author of "Tomorrow's War: The Threat of High-Technology Weapons." He tells Jim Fleming that robotic soldier ants, genetically engineered killer algae, and noise bombs are not the stuff of science fiction: they actually exist and make the world an increasingly dangerous place. Also, the poor man's atom bombs are chemical and biological weapons which can be cooked in the average kitchen. Leonard Cole, author of "The Eleventh Plague: The Politics of Biological and Chemical Warfare" tells Steve Paulson that global acceptance of Iraq's use of these weapons against Iran eroded the long-standing taboo against such poisons.

SEGMENT 2

Writer Donovan Webster has visited the sites of several twentieth century wars in Europe, Asia and Africa. He tells Judith Strasser that war's left-overs -- land mines, radiation, unexploded poison gas shells -- are still killing and maiming innocent civilians years after the conflicts supposedly ended. Webster's book is "Aftermath: The Remnants of War."

SEGMENT 3:

Cultural historian Paul Fussell was an infantryman during the Second World War. He tells Steve Paulson that his idyllic childhood left him unprepared for the horror of war and that his combat experience left him with life- long feelings of shame. Fussell's books include "The Great War and Modern Memory" and "Doing Battle: The Making of a Skeptic."

Distribution dates:

• week of 09/29/96 - hour 1
• week of 07/6/97 - hour 1