Destroyed ancient city in Turkey has history of resilience

+ value of vital public records; food scientist on chocolate US Edition - Today's top story: Turkey's historic city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been flattened by powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself [View in browser]( US Edition | 18 February 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( The city of Antakya in southeastern Turkey lies in ruins following the devastating earthquake that hit the region last week. Media reports indicate that people are being buried in mass graves as there is no space left. This isn’t the first time that [this ancient city, known in Roman times as Antioch, has seen such destruction](. At least two earthquakes are known to have utterly devastated the city in the ancient past. University of Tennessee’s Christine Shepardson visited the city at least three times while doing her research on the Christianization of Antioch. Her “heart has been breaking” to see the region shattered anew, but there is “hope amid the wreckage,” she writes, for its people have rebuilt the city through their resilience in the past – and they will do so again. This week we also liked stories about [finding a summer camp](, [robotic boots for balance therapy](, and the [damaging effects on the liver of vinyl chloride](, a chemical spilled in the recent Ohio train derailment. Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor A view of the destruction in Antakya, Turkey, caused by the recent earthquake. AP Photo/Hussein Malla [Turkey’s historic city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been flattened by powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself]( Christine Shepardson, University of Tennessee A historian of the late Roman world, who visited earthquake-devastated Antakya several times, writes about the city’s rich history and recovery after being devastated in the past. Civil registries in the U.S. are spread across different local jurisdictions. eric1513/iStock via Getty Images Plus [How records of life’s milestones help solve cold cases, pinpoint health risks and allocate public resources]( Paula Fomby, University of Pennsylvania Vital records document the birth, death, marriage and divorce of every individual. A more centralized system in the US could help public health researchers better study pandemics and disease. Pam Longobardi amid a giant heap of fishing gear that she and volunteers from the Hawaii Wildlife Fund collected in 2008. David Rothstein [My art uses plastic recovered from beaches around the world to understand how our consumer society is transforming the ocean]( Pam Longobardi, Georgia State University Pam Longobardi collects and documents ocean plastic waste and transforms it into public art and photography. Her work makes statements about consumption, globalism and conservation. - [Chocolate chemistry – a food scientist explains how the beloved treat gets its flavor, texture and tricky reputation as an ingredient]( Sheryl Barringer, The Ohio State University There’s a lot of interesting science behind the fermenting, roasting, grinding and melting that turns chocolate into the bars, bonbons and baked goods you know and love. - [Why does Turkey want other countries to start spelling its name ‘Türkiye’?]( Phillip M. Carter, Florida International University When a country changes its name or requests changes to the spelling of its name, there are almost always political motives. - [Donations by top 50 US donors dropped sharply to $16 billion in 2022 – Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mike Bloomberg and Warren Buffett lead the list of biggest givers]( David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Elizabeth J. Dale, Seattle University; Michael Moody, Grand Valley State University As giving receded to pre-pandemic levels, most of these gifts were designated for foundations, higher education, hospitals and medical research. - [Turkish President Erdoğan's grip on power threatened by devastating earthquake]( - [Faster-than-reflexes robo-boots boost balance]( - [Israel enters a dangerous period – public protests swell over Netanyahu’s plan to limit the power of the Israeli Supreme Court]( - [How vinyl chloride, chemical released in the Ohio train derailment, can damage the liver – it’s used to make PVC plastics]( - [7 ways to take the stress and worry out of sending your child to summer camp]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠- Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( What 89-year-old U.S. senator announced this week that she will not run again in 2024? - A. Nancy Pelosi - B. Dianne Feinstein - C. Marjorie Taylor Greene - D. 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