Top 5: Clashing over rules + losing international students

+ how a doctor is weighing everyday risks US Edition - Today's top story: As states reopen, tensions flare between the rule followers and rule breakers [View in browser]( US Edition | 31 May 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Happy Sunday! Our top five articles of the week are listed below. During this short week, I spent some time looking back at The Conversation’s growing archive – now featuring more than five years of articles. So many of them are a delight to reread, including this one by David Weintraub, an astronomer at Vanderbilt University who contemplates [how finding alien life may affect our religious beliefs](. More than 800,000 people have read it so far. I bet you’ll enjoy it. Emily Costello Deputy Editor Different mindsets about rules can lead to different behaviors. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky [As states reopen, tensions flare between the rule followers and rule breakers]( Michele Gelfand, University of Maryland The divide transcends partisan bickering. Some people really do recoil at the imposition of strict rules, while others become anxious when rules aren't followed. New research hints at why Germany’s death toll from COVID-19 was relatively low while Italy’s and America’s spiked. Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images [Fast-acting countries cut their coronavirus death rates while US delays cost thousands of lives]( Joshua Aizenman, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Over the first 100 days of the pandemic, countries that quickly implemented strong policies successfully lowered their death rates faster. There were also some surprises in the successes and failures. - [6 ways a drop in international students could set back US higher education]( David L. Di Maria, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If fewer students from other countries enroll in US colleges and universities this fall due to COVID-19, the effects would be felt well beyond the campus, an expert warns. - [Should you fly yet? An epidemiologist and an exposure scientist walk you through the decision process]( Kacey Ernst, University of Arizona; Paloma Beamer, University of Arizona Fear of flying means something altogether different in the age of the new coronavirus. Now the biggest concern is how to keep from becoming infected. If you must fly, here are some things to consider. - [A doctor shares 7 steps he’ll review to decide when and where it’s safe to go out and about]( William Petri, University of Virginia All states have relaxed social distancing to some degree, but there are few consistent guidelines for people to know how to stay safe. A doctor who specializes in immunology tells what he will do. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111