Soil bacteria and fungi are particularly proficient at producing natural chemical weapons, apparently as part of a subterranean arms race to spew out toxic chemicals to kill rival species.

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But every western government is worried about the natural affinity between non-conventional weapons and non-conventional terrorists.

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Until very recently they seemed to have great difficulty in resisting the equally natural temptation to shoot off their new weapons, and every day sounded like the Fourth of July, but the F.

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"Without testing, countries will not have enough confidence in new weapons to stockpile them, and that will slow down new weapons systems, " says Thomas Cochran of the Natural Resources Council in Washington.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek