Science has brought us to the brink of a new millennium. The question is, where will it take us next, and will we be ready for it? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, science futures and science education. Also, a visit with a plant biologist who uses fast- growing plants to speed kids learning biology in the classroom.

SEGMENT 1:

University of Wisconsin plant pathologist Paul Williams tells Steve Paulson about his "fast plants" and how they're used with cheap, recycled materials to teach biology from the grade school level to graduate school. Also, Dudley Hershbach is a Nobel Laureate, but he still teaches basic chemistry courses at Harvard. He tells Jim Fleming that science can and should relate to students' lives and give them opportunity for individual expression.

SEGMENT 2:

Mathematician Stanislas Dehaene is also a neuropsychologist and the author of "The Number Sense." He tells Judith Strasser that some numerical concepts are basic to humans; that pigeons and rats can count; and that the human brain is modular in its structure.

SEGMENT 3:

Michio Kaku teaches theoretical physics at City College of New York. His new book is "Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century." Kaku tells Jim Fleming that computer chips will be in everything; that medical care will change drastically; and that human cloning will happen within five years whether it's legal or not.

Distribution dates:

• week of 12/14/97 - hour 2