>> TONIGHT ON PBS NEWS WEEKEND. A MASSIVE DEADLY TORNADO OVERNIGHT LEAVES DEVASTATION IN ITS WAKE ADMIRAL -- IN RURAL MISSISSIPPI. U.S. MILITARY AIRMEN AND GROUND CREWS HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF CANCER. >> FOR THESE MILITARY FAMILIES, THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. FINDING OUT THE WHY WILL BE IMPORTANT TO PROTECT THE NEXT GENERATION OF PILOTS.
WHAT THEY NEED NOW IS HELP FOR THE CURRENT GENERATION. >> THE BARRIERS STOPPING PEOPLE FROM GOING TO THE DOCTOR FOR BASIC CARE AND SCREENINGS. ♪ >> MAJOR FUNDING FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY. >> FOR 25 YEARS, CONSUMER CELLULAR'S GOAL HAS BEEN TO HELP YOU CONNECT. OUR U.S.-BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE
TEAM CAN HELP YOU FIND A PLAN THAT FITS YOU. VISIT CONSUMER CELLULAR.TV. . >> AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS. AND FRIENDS OF THE NEWSHOUR.
THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. >> GOOD EVENING. I'M JOHN YANG.
SPRING, THE SEASON OF REBIRTH AND RENEWAL, HAS REMINDED US THAT IT CAN ALSO BE THE SEASON OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. AT LEAST 25 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND DOZENS MORE INJURED AFTER A TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH RURAL MISSISSIPPI FRIDAY NIGHT, OVER AN HOUR NORTHWEST OF JACKSON. MISSISSIPPI'S GOVERNOR DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AS OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO COMB THROUGH THE DAMAGE.
>> HOMES LEVELED. POWER LINES DOWN. NEIGHBORHOODS DESTROYED. THIS IS THE SEEN THOUSANDS OF MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS WOKE UP TO THIS MORNING. >> COMPLETE AND UTTER DEVASTATION.
TREES UP. >> THE STORM PUMMELED THIS STRETCH OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MILES PER HOUR AND HAIL THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS. >> GOT IN THE BATHTUB WITH MY WIFE AND THROUGH SOME PILLOWS OVER US. >> THE TORNADO WAS SO INTENSE THAT RADAR IMAGES LEFT A METEOROLOGIST NEARLY SPEECHLESS. >> MAN.
DEAR JESUS, PLEASE HELP THEM. >> MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR DISPATCHED SEARCH-AND-RESCUE TEAMS TO SIFT THROUGH THE RUBBLE FOR SURVIVORS. DAMAGE FROM THE STORM STRETCHES OVER 100 MILES ACROSS THE STATE WITH DEBRIS AND WRECKAGE BLOCKING ROADS. >> EVERYBODY IS HELPING EVERYBODY.
NOT JUST IN THIS PART OF THE TOWN. EVERYBODY IS HOPING AND PRAYING FOR EVERYBODY. >> THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING MORE TORNADOES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AS OTHER STATES BRACE FOR IMPACT. MISSISSIPPI HOPES TO FIND MORE SURVIVORS. >> VLADIMIR PUTIN SAYS HE WILL MOVE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS INTO BELARUS.
THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC HAD DEACTIVATED ITS NUKES AND SENT THEM TO RUSSIA FOLLOWING THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION. VLADIMIR PUTIN SAID NUCLEAR STORAGE FACILITIES WOULD BE FINISHED BY JULY. BELARUS HAS BEEN A STAGING GROUND FOR RUSSIAN TROOPS IN ITS INVASION OF UKRAINE. COFOUNDER OF INTEL HAS DIED. HE WAS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE FATHERS OF SILICON VALLEY AND FOR MOORE'S LAW, HIS 1960'S PREDICTION THAT COMPUTING POWER WOULD ROUGHLY DOUBLE EVERY TWO YEARS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. IT HAS HELD TRUE FOR DECADES AND IS A DRIVING SOURCE OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH.
HE WAS 94 YEARS OLD. STILL TO COME ON PBS NEWS WEEKEND, WHAT IS STOPPING PEOPLE FROM GOING TO SEE THE DOCTOR AND HOW FOSSIL FINDERS CAN COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND EVEN AGES. >> THIS IS PBS NEWS WEEKEND. HOME OF THE PBS NEWSHOUR. WEEKNIGHTS ON PBS.
>> THE WOMEN AND MEN OF THE U.S. MILITARY ALREADY HAVE SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS IN THE WORLD, PUTTING THEMSELVES IN HARM'S WAY. A NEW PENTAGON STUDY REVEALS THE MILITARY HAS A HIGHER RISK OF ANOTHER DANGER, CANCER. >> THE UNPRECEDENTED STUDY WAS COMMISSIONED BY CONGRESS IN 2021.
IT FOLLOWED NEARLY ONE MILLION SERVICE MEMBERS WHO FLEW ON OR WORKED ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT BETWEEN 1992 AND 2019. IT FOUND THAT MILITARY PILOTS IN THE GROUND CREWS WHO HELPED THEM WERE AT GREATER RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER OF ANY KIND COMPARED TO THE GENERAL U.S. POPULATION.
AIRCREWS SUFFERED A HIGHER RATE OF MELANOMA. MEN WERE 16% LIKELIER TO GET PROSTATE CANCER AND WOMEN WERE 16% MORE LIKELY TO GET BREAST CANCER. GROUND CREWS HAD A 19% HIGHER RATE OF CANCERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, A 15 PERCENT HIGHER RATE OF THYROID CANCER AND A 9% HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF KIDNEY OR RENAL CANCERS. JOIN ME TO DISCUSS IS PENTAGON AND NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. YOU HAVE BEEN SPEAKING OVER THE YEARS TO FAMILIES AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO HAVE LONG BEEN CALLING FOR THIS STUDY. WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU NOW THAT IT'S OUT? >> THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY.
THERE IS A SENSE OF RELIEF AND FRUSTRATION AS TO WHY THIS TOOK SO LONG. THERE ARE PILOTS WHO HAVE GOING TO THEIR DOCTORS FOR YEARS SAYING, THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOMETHING THERE. OR THEY WEREN'T DETECTED IN TIME TO SAVE THEIR LIVES. WHEN THIS STUDY CAME OUT, IT'S LIKE THE FIRST TOOL THESE PILOTS AND GROUND CREWS CAN TAKE AND SAY LET'S CHECK. >> YOU HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW A LOT OF THEM VERY WELL INCLUDING ONE IN PARTICULAR. THE LATE BOOT HILL.
HE REALLY SPEARHEADED THE STUDY. TELL ME ABOUT HIM. >> COMMANDER THOMAS BOOT HILL MEANS A LOT TO ME. FIGHTER PILOTS CAN BE VERY CLOSED.
THEY TEND TO BE VERY PRIVATE. I HAVEN'T MET MANY THAT LOVE TALKING TO THE PRESS. IT TOOK US SIX MONTHS PROBABLY TO WARM UP TO EACH OTHER ON THE PHONE AND IN EMAILS TO WHERE I REALLY GOT TO HEAR HIS STORY.
ONCE HE STARTED TO SEE HIS FRIENDS DYING, HE LITERALLY CREATED AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET OF TOMKAT PILOTS. JUST LOOKING AT ALL THE NAMES AND THE COMMANDING OFFICERS WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED AND THEN STARTED TO REACH OUT TO OTHER AIRFRAMES. BY THE TIME HE PASSED, HE HAD CREATED A LIST OF EVERYBODY FROM 1995 TO 2001 WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER.
>> THE STUDY DIDN'T LOOK AT THE CAUSES, BUT CERTAINLY THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY IT HAVE THEIR OWN THEORIES. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THAT? >> BECAUSE IS ALWAYS THE HIGHEST THING. YOU HAVE A LIFETIME OF EXPOSURES. MAYBE YOU HAVE A GENETIC PROCLIVITY TO CANCER OR MAYBE YOU SMOKED OR YOU DRINK OR YOU WERE EXPOSED TO SOMETHING IN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT LED TO CANCER.
WITH PILOTS IN PARTICULAR, THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING THEY ARE GETTING EXPOSED TO. THERE IS A LOT OF MELANOMA. A LOT OF THE STUDIES SAY THEY ARE FLYING AND GETTING EXPOSED TO MORE RADIATION THAT WAY. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BRAIN AND THYROID CANCER? THERE ARE OTHER THINGS IN THE COCKPIT WHETHER IT IS RADIATION FROM THE RADARS OR THE POWER SOURCES TO THOSE RADARS OR WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLY THE JET FUEL OR FUMES OR WHEN THEY HAVE TO CLEAN PARTS, THEY HAVE TO USE VERY TOXIC SOLVENTS.
THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE MORE WORK DONE TO SEE WHAT MAY BE BEHIND THIS. >> THERE IS GOING TO BE MORE WORK DONE WHEN CONGRESS CONDUCTS A LARGER STUDY. WHY DID THIS HAVE TO BE DONE IN TWO PHASES? >> THAT WAS THE SAME QUESTION I WAS ASKING. WHEN I SAW IT THE WAY IT WAS CONSTRUCTED, I THINK IT WAS TO GET BUY-IN.
IT'S USUALLY A LOT EASIER FOR MEMBERS TO BUY IN ON A STUDY THAN TO IMMEDIATELY BUY-IN ON EIGHT WE NEED TO FIX THIS BECAUSE THESE GUYS ARE SUFFERING. THEY HAVE THEIR STUDY NOW. THEY KNOW THE RATES ARE HIGHER AND THIS NEXT STUDY IS GOING TO BE EXHAUSTIVE. DO YOU DO JUST THE COCKPIT, AND ENTIRE AIRCRAFT CARRIER THAT HAS ITS OWN MASSIVE RADARS? THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR CONGRESS. AND THESE MILITARY FAMILIES ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. FINDING OUT THE Y WILL BE IMPORTANT TO PROTECT THE NEXT GENERATION OF PILOTS, BUT WHAT THEY NEED RIGHT NOW IS HELP FOR THE CURRENT GENERATION.
>> THE STUDY FOUND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE RATES OF CANCER WERE HIGHER, THE SURVIVAL RATES WERE ALSO HIGHER. WHY IS THAT? >> THEY ARE GENERALLY IN BETTER SHAPE AND ALSO HAVE TO GO TO REQUIRED MEDICAL CHECKUPS. THEY WERE GETTING SCREENED MORE AND EARLIER. THE PENTAGON NOW HAS TO PULL FROM V.A. DATA AND STATE CANCER REGISTRIES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ONCE THEY LEAVE THE MILITARY DON'T KEEP GOING TO THE V.A. FOR HEALTH CARE. OR WHEN THEY RETIRE, THEY ARE NOT GETTING THE MILITARY'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. THEY WERE NOT CAPTURED IN THIS.
THE GOVERNMENT SAID ONCE WE HAVE THEIR -- THE BIGGER UNIVERSE OF PEOPLE, THE NUMBERS MAY BE EVEN WORSE. >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> PREVENTATIVE MEDICAL CARE CAN BE A KEY TOOL IN CONTROLLING HIGH HEALTH CARE COSTS. IT CAN DETECT AND TREAT EARLY WARNING SIGNS, HELP AVOID COSTLY EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS AND CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER OUTCOMES. NEARLY A THIRD OF AMERICANS LACK ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE SUCH AS ROUTINE DOCTORS CHECKUPS AND MANY ADULTS SAY THE COST OF CARE HAS LED THEM TO DELAY GOING OR NOT GO AT ALL. WE ASKED AMERICANS ABOUT THE BARRIERS TO PREVENTATIVE AND PRIMARY CARE SERVICES.
>> I HAVEN'T BEEN TO A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR IN TWO OR THREE YEARS. >> I JUST WENT TO THE DOCTOR FOR A ROUTINE CHECKUP WITH SOME BLOOD TESTS AND I GET A BIG BILL IN THE MAIL A FEW WEEKS LATER. THAT EXPERIENCE BY ITSELF MAKES ME LESS LIKELY TO GO TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE THERE IS JUST SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY. >> AT FIRST I WAS LOOKING AT YELP REVIEWS AND HEALTH GRADE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU CAN'T EVEN BE PICKY ABOUT THAT ANYMORE, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL IF YOU CAN FIND ANY DOCTOR WHO SAYS THEY WILL TAKE ON A NEW PATIENT. >> THE NEW PATIENT FEE RANGES BETWEEN $300 AND FOUR $150. INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THAT AT ALL IN MY EXPERIENCE. >> I HAVE A NUMBER OF HEALTH PROBLEMS SO I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.
EVERY SINGLE ONE AND I'M TALKING SEVEN OR EIGHT DOCTORS THAT I HAVE INITIAL APPOINTMENTS WITH, WHEN I GO BACK TO RESCHEDULE, THEY ARE NO LONGER IN MY NETWORK, NO LONGER PRACTICING. >> I HAVE A LOT OF PAIN EVERYWHERE. I FINALLY HAD TO GO BECAUSE I'M JUST IN A LOT OF PAIN. I WENT TO GET AN X-RAY AND I SAID MY INSURANCE WAS INVALID. I CALLED THEM AND THEY SAID IT WAS VALID. NOW I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER TWO OR THREE WEEKS TO GET AN X-RAY.
SO I'M STILL NOT BEING TREATED. MY HANDS ARE KILLING ME AND I WORK REALLY HARD. IT'S JUST REALLY FRUSTRATING. >> I NEEDED TO SEE A GASTROENTEROLOGIST ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND I MANAGED TO GET A 15 MINUTE CALL WITH ONE AND I GOT CHARGED $900 FOR THAT 15 MINUTE CALL.
IN MY INSURANCE COMPANY WHICH WAS COSTING ME QUITE A BIT OF MONEY WOULD NOT PAY MOST OF IT BECAUSE THEY SAID I HAD A DEDUCTIBLE FOR THAT. SO I WAS JUST REALLY EXASPERATED. IT'S ALL VERY EXPENSIVE AND THE CARE SEEMS TO BE SORT OF INACCESSIBLE.
>> WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN SHORTLY IS I'M GOING TO GO TO THE ER, WHICH IS EXTRAORDINARILY COSTLY AND UNNECESSARY BUT THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY. WHEN IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO SEE AN ACTUAL DOCTOR, PEOPLE GO TO THE ER WHICH IS EXPONENTIALLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN JUST GOING TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL DOCTOR. >> DOCTORS ARE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE TO SEE AS MANY PATIENTS AS POSSIBLE, SO THEY DON'T GIVE THE PATIENT ONE-ON-ONE ATTENTION. I FIND IT VERY FRUSTRATING AS A PATIENT ADVOCATE AND AS A PATIENT MYSELF, SO I JUST AVOID IT BECAUSE IT'S VERY DISHEARTENING.
>> THE VOICES OF SOME OF THOSE WHO ARE FRUSTRATED WITH HEALTH CARE. A CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PRIMARY CARE AND POPULATION HEALTH AT STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL. THE THINGS PEOPLE ARE SLIDING, DOES THAT RING TRUE TO YOU? >> IT DEFINITELY RINGS TRUE TO ME. IT IS VERY HARD NOWADAYS TO GET A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR. ACCESS IS SO MINIMAL AND IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE. >> WHY IS IT HARD TO FIND A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR? NOT ONLY TO GET AN APPOINTMENT BUT SOMETIMES FINDING ONE WHO IS TAKING NEW PATIENTS IS DIFFICULT.
>> IT'S A BIG PROBLEM. WE HAVE A PRIMARY CARE CRISIS IN THIS COUNTRY. PERSONALLY I THINK PRIMARY CARE IS UNDERAPPRECIATED, UNDERPAID. THE YOUNG DOCTORS DON'T WANT TO BE PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS, THEY WANT TO BE SPECIALISTS. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS.
THE ONES WE HAVE TAKE ON AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK WITH ALL THE PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE, ALL THE FOLLOW-UP VISITS, ALL THE AFTER OUR COMPUTER WORK ANSWERING MESSAGES, AND THEY GET BURNED OUT. >> DURING THE PANDEMIC, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE AFRAID TO SEE THE DOCTOR. THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM CLOSE OTHER PEOPLE.
HAVE THEY GOTTEN IN THE HABIT OF NOT GOING TO THE DOCTOR NOW? >> THERE IS STILL A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FEAR. MANY PEOPLE DID NOT COME TO THE DOCTOR FOR THREE YEARS. THEY LET THEIR HEALTH PROBLEMS LAPSE. UNFORTUNATELY THEY GOT WORSE. BLOOD PRESSURE IS LESS WELL CONTROLLED.
NOW EVERYBODY IS TRYING TO GET IN AND IT'S FRUSTRATING. FOR US AS PROVIDERS AS MUCH AS LOCATIONS. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT THE LACK OF ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS.
IS THERE A TYPE OF PATIENT WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO LACK ACCESS TO A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN? >> IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH INSURANCE. PATIENTS WHO DON'T HAVE GOOD INSURANCE HAVE IT EVEN HARDER TO GET PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS. CERTAIN INSURANCES ARE NOT TAKEN BY DIFFERENT CLINICS AND THOSE POOR PATIENTS CAN'T GET ACCESS. >> A LOT OF THOSE PATIENTS END UP TREATING THE EMERGENCY ROOM AS THEIR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. OBVIOUSLY IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO DO THAT.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE SYSTEM? >> IT IS A BIG PROBLEM. MOST PATIENTS WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE SERIOUSLY ILL AND THEN THEY DO NEED TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE THEY ARE SICK. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF PATIENTS WHO SHOULDN'T COME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE THEY JUST NEED PRESCRIPTION REFILLS AND THE EMERGENCY ROOMS ARE OVERLOADED, WAIT TIMES ARE REALLY HIGH. SO THAT'S NOT THE GOOD WAY TO GET PRIMARY CARE OR PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE. >> HAS TELEHEALTH HELPED AND DOES IT HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF HELPING SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? >> I'M A HUGE FAN OF TELEHEALTH BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE AWAY A LOT OF BARRIERS PATIENTS HAVE.
THEY DON'T NEED TO FIND CHILD CARE OR ELDER CARE OR TAKE TIME OFF WORK, BECAUSE THEY CAN DO THE VISITS IN THEIR LUNCH BREAKS. SOME PATIENTS ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY POPULATION ARE NOT AS SAVVY WITH VIDEO VISITS SO THEY ARE NOT AS COMFORTABLE. OVERALL I THINK TELEHEALTH IS A REALLY GREAT ADDITION TO HEALTH CARE. >> WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THE GROWTH IN URGENT CARE CENTERS.
IS THAT HELPING? >> I HAVE SEEN SO MANY PATIENTS AND I HEAR FROM MY PATIENTS, I TRIED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR, I CAN'T GET IN. NOW AS URGENT CARE DOCTORS WE START DOING CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT. NOT JUST URGENT CARE ANYMORE.
NOW I PRESCRIBE DIABETES MEDICATION BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO HARD TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH PRIMARY CARE. >> ANOTHER THING WE HEARD FROM PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY TALKING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE HIS FRUSTRATION WITH INSURANCE. WITH -- WHICH THE PROVIDERS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH. >> I'M AS FRUSTRATED AS THE PATIENTS. THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY.
I ORDER A TEST, I DON'T KNOW IF IT GETS COVERED. EVERY JANUARY INSURANCE DECIDES WHAT MEDICATIONS GET COVERED. A PATIENT IS ON THE SAME DRUG FOR 20 YEARS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY DON'T COVER IT ANYMORE.
IT WOULD HELP IF THEY WERE MORE TRANSPARENT. >> WHAT COULD HELP TAKE AWAY THESE FRUSTRATIONS AND HELP PEOPLE GO TO THE DOCTOR MORE OFTEN? >> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY HAS A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR. YOU DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL YOU REALLY NEED A DOCTOR BECAUSE THEN IT WILL TAKE NINE TO 10 MONTHS TO SEE SOMEBODY. EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, SO YOU HAVE SOMEBODY. AND THEN FOLLOW UP, DO YOUR PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE. I KNOW PEOPLE THINK I'M HEALTHY, IT'S NOT NECESSARY.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IF THE BLOOD PRESSURE IS -- OR NOT BECAUSE WE CAN PREVENT PROBLEMS DOWN THE LINE. >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. PALEONTOLOGY, THE STUDY OF FOSSILS, IS ONE OF THE FEW FIELDS WHERE DISCOVERY CAN COME FROM EXPERTS AND AMATEURS ALIKE. A STORY OF SOME RECENT ASTONISHING FOSSIL FINDS. >> FROM THE RUGGED COASTLINE OF NORTHEAST ENGLAND.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING OF LOOKING AT. >> TO THE SANDY BEACHES OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY IN MARYLAND. FOSSIL HUNTING IS FOR BOTH YOUNG AND OLD. >> I SAW IT WAS A BIG TOOTH.
>> ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, 9-YEAR-OLD MOLLIE SAMPSON PUT ONE OF HER NEW PRESENCE TO GOOD USE. >> I TRIED TO SCOOP IT UP WITH MY SCOOPER, BUT THE TOOTH WAS TOO BIG. >> THE WINDSHIELD WAS 10°.
-- THE WINDCHILL WAS 10°. SHE DIPPED HER HANDS RIGHT IN THE WATER. >> FOSSIL HUNTING RUNS IN THIS FAMILY. BRUCE SIMPSON GOT HIS KIDS HOOKED FROM A YOUNG AGE. >> IT IS SO COOL TO SEE THEM GET EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING THEY FIND.
ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS TELL THE KIDS WHEN THEY FIND SOMETHING -- IT'S 15 MILLION YEARS OLD, IT'S BEEN SITTING THERE FOR ALL OF THAT TIME AND YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO PICK IT UP AND HOLD IT. >> THE TOOK THEIR FIND TO THE CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY AT THE CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM. >> HE SAID IT WAS A GOOD SPECIMEN.
>> HE SAID IT IS ONE MILLION YEARS OLD. SO EVERY INCH OF TOOTH EQUALS 10 FEET OF SHOCK. IT HAS 5 INCHES. SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A 50 FOOT SHARK. HE SAID IT WAS THE FIND OF A LIFETIME.
>> I TELL PEOPLE REPEATEDLY, YOU SHOULDN'T EXPECT TO FIND A FOSSIL LIKE THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME AND HAVE NOT FOUND A LARGE TOOTH LIKE THAT. SHE JUST HAPPENED TO BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. >> MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, THIS AREA WAS UNDERWATER. TIME AND EROSION HAVE LEFT FOSSILS BEHIND FOR AMATEUR PALEONTOLOGISTS TO DISCOVER.
>> YOU WOULD THINK THAT AFTER 200 YEARS OF WESTERN CULTURE COLLECTING FOSSILS THAT WE WOULD KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT GENEALOGY AND THE DIVERSITY OF ORGANISMS THAT LIVED HERE DURING THE MIOCENE EPIC. BUT IN FACT WE DON'T. EVERY YEAR WE CONTINUE TO MAKE MORE DISCOVERIES. >> ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, MARIE WOODS FOUND A FOSSILIZED DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS ALONG THE YORKSHIRE COAST.
>> I GOT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH IT TO REALIZE WHAT IT WAS. I WASN'T AWARE OF WHAT TYPE OF DINOSAUR IT WAS OR THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. BUT I KNEW ENOUGH TO START THE NEXT STAGE OF PROCESSING IT. >> WOODS IS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST WHO STUMBLES THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD. DON'T WRITE MODERNITY WHEN COMPARED TO THE AGE OF THE DINOSAURS. >> I LOOK AT THINGS FROM ABOUT 800 YEARS AGO AND HERE'S THIS FOOTPRINT FROM 165 MILLION YEARS AGO.
>> SHE IS ONE OF THE CO-AUTHORS OF A RECENTLY PUBLISHED STUDY THAT CONFIRMED THE FOOTPRINT IS FROM A GIANT THEROPOD. THE PRINT REVEALED A NEW DINOSAUR BEHAVIOR, SQUATTING. >> WHAT THEY HAVE SAID IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THIS IS THAT IT'S THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD THAT SHOWS BEHAVIOR OF A DINOSAUR OF THIS KIND ACTUALLY TAKING A REST.
>> I LOVE THE IDEA OF IT HELPING TELL THE STORY THAT THE FACT THAT THESE THOROUGH PODS COULD TAKE RISKS AND MAY BE ADMIRE THE COAST. >> EXACTLY. >> TO PROTECT THE FOOTPRINT FROM THE ELEMENTS, FOSSIL COLLECTORS CAREFULLY REMOVED IT FROM THE ROCKY CLIFF. THAT'S WHEN THEY REALIZED ANOTHER FOSSIL HUNTER HAD SPOTTED THE SAME PRINT JUST NOT FULLY EXPOSED A FEW MONTHS EARLIER. WOODS AND TAYLOR SHARE IN THE HISTORIC FIND.
AND THOUGH PALEONTOLOGY HAS BEEN A FIELD DOMINATED BY MEN, WOODS HELPS -- HOPES HER DISCOVERY WILL HELP CHANGE THAT. >> IT'S FANTASTIC ESPECIALLY FOR MYSELF TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG WOMEN AND SCHOOLCHILDREN TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SCIENCE-BASED SUBJECT. >> MOLLIE SAMPSON'S FIND IS PROOF THAT NEITHER GENDER NOR AGE MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENCE.
>> PALEONTOLOGY IS ONE OF THE FIELDS WHERE AMATEURS CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION. JUST LIKE MOLLIE LOOKING FOR FOSSILS, THERE IS A LARGE POPULATION OF COLLECTORS WHO ARE VERY PASSIONATE AND BRING FOSSILS TO OUR ATTENTION. >> TELL ME ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD FOSSIL HUNTER.
>> IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO FIND STUFF. YOU HAVE TO KEEP EXPLORING AND INVESTIGATING DIFFERENT THINGS. >> IF YOU SEE THE ROCKS, YOU MIGHT NOT SEE THEM ON TOP. BEFORE YOU START DIGGING, YOU LOOK ON TOP AND THEN YOU CAN SCRAPE THE ROCKS AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING UNDER THEM. >> PATIENTS, A GOOD AND A LOT OF CURIOSITY. >> THAT IS PBS NEWS WEEKEND FOR THIS SATURDAY.
I AM JOHN YANG. FOR ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES, THANKS FOR JOINING US. SEE YOU TOMORROW. >> MAJOR FUNDING FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY. >> OUR U.S.-BASED CUSTOMER
SERVICE TEAM CAN HELP FIND A PLAN THAT FITS YOU. TO LEARN MORE, VISIT CONSUMER CELLULAR.TV. >> AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS.
THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. ♪
2023-03-28