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. Sleep disorder tied to brain ills in kids

    Researchers have linked a severe form of sleep apnea in children to brain irregularities that may contribute to learning problems.

  2. Katrina’s Two-Sided Impact: Survey finds disorders, resilience after tragedy

    In the year after surviving Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast residents experienced a surge in serious mental disorders combined with elements of personal growth and emotional resilience.

  3. Drug could be depression buster

    Preliminary evidence indicates that a single dose of a drug called ketamine rapidly quells symptoms of major depression for up to 1 week in patients who don't benefit from standard antidepressant medications.

  4. Anthropology

    Chimps spread out their tools

    Chimpanzees use stones to crack nuts in an African region far from where that behavior was thought to be relegated.

  5. Stress rate revised for Vietnam vets

    A reanalysis of data from a 1988 study of Vietnam veterans finds that 19 percent developed war-related post-traumatic stress disorder, a smaller proportion than had previously been estimated.

  6. Anthropology

    Evolution’s DNA Difference: Noncoding gene tied to origin of human brain

    Investigators have discovered a gene that shows signs of having evolved rapidly in people and of having made a substantial contribution to the emergence of a uniquely human brain.

  7. Outside Looking In

    A new wave of research offers insights into the nature and causes of Asperger syndrome, a condition related to autism that's characterized by social cluelessness, repetitive behavior, and unusually narrow interests.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.