Bruce Bower

Bruce Bower

Behavioral Sciences Writer

Bruce Bower has written about the behavioral sciences since 1984. He often writes about psychology, anthropology, archaeology and mental health issues. Bruce has a master's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Following an internship at Science News in 1981, he worked as a reporter at Psychiatric News, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, until joining Science News as a staff writer. In 1996, the American Psychological Association appointed Bruce a Science Writer Fellow, with a grant to visit psychological scientists of his own choosing. Early stints as an aide in a day school for children and teenagers with severe psychological problems and as a counselor in a drug diversion center provided Bruce with a surprisingly good background for a career in science journalism.

All Stories by Bruce Bower

  1. Autism’s Cell Off: Neural losses appear in boys, men with disorder

    The brains of boys and men with autism, a developmental disorder that impairs communication and social interaction, contain low numbers of neurons in a structure involved in emotion and memory.

  2. Archaeology

    Ancient rains made Sahara livable

    New evidence indicates that seasonal rainfall more than 7,000 years ago turned Africa's eastern Sahara desert into a savannalike area that attracted an influx of foraging groups.

  3. Bullying leaves mark on kids’ psyches

    Being victimized by bullies at school between ages 5 and 7 promotes a unique set of behavioral and emotional problems in children, regardless of any such problems that they had before entering school.

  4. From Mind to Matter: Data analysis challenges psychokinesis

    Numerous experiments in which volunteers mentally attempt to influence the output of computers that generate random sequences of 1s and 0s have failed to show that individuals can use their minds to manipulate the physical world.

  5. Anthropology

    Little Ancestor, Big Debate: Tiny islanders’ identity sparks dispute

    New measurements bolster the 2-year-old claim that fossils of a half-size human ancestor found on an Indonesian island represent a new species.

  6. Feminine Side of ADHD: Attention disorder has lasting impact on girls

    Many girls diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as grade-schoolers struggle with a variety of problems related to that condition as teenagers, even though their hyperactive symptoms often ease.

  7. Archaeology

    Shells may represent oldest known beads

    Researchers have identified three perforated shells dating to around 100,000 years ago as beads, making these finds the oldest known examples of personal decoration.

  8. Gay Males’ Sibling Link: Men’s homosexuality tied to having older brothers

    Birth order may steer some men toward homosexuality in a process that perhaps begins before birth.

  9. Anthropology

    Mexican find reveals ancient dental work

    A 4,500-year-old human skeleton found in Mexico represents the earliest instance in the Americas of intentionally modified teeth, apparently to create space for a ceremonial mouthpiece.

  10. Older but Mellower: Aging brain shifts gears to emotional advantage

    The aging brain reorganizes in ways that foster emotional stability and a tendency to favor positive emotions over negative ones.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Wasting Away: Prozac loses promise as anorexia nervosa fighter

    Although often prescribed for people with anorexia nervosa, the popular antidepressant medication Prozac offers no better protection against the potentially fatal eating disorder than placebo pills do.

  12. Anthropology

    Variety spices up Neandertals’ DNA

    A surprising amount of genetic diversity characterized Neandertals.