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. Archaeology

    China’s Fermented Past: Pottery yields signs of oldest known wine

    Analyses of ancient pottery have yielded evidence the people living in northern China 9,000 years ago concocted a fermented, winelike drink from rice, honey, and fruit.

  2. Anthropology

    South American Surprise: Ancient farmers settled in Uruguay’s wetlands

    The discovery of a 4,200-year-old farming settlement in Uruguay challenges traditional notions of where early South American societies took root.

  3. Neural Feel for Seeing: Emotion may mold early visual activity in brain

    The amygdala, an inner-brain structure that coordinates reactions to fearful sights, influences early stages of visual perception in far-removed brain regions.

  4. Humans

    Rodent Run

    Four little DNA-modified rats go to market.

  5. Profiles in Melancholy, Resilience: Abused kids react to genetics, adult support

    Abused and neglected children who possess two copies of a gene that affects brain chemistry develop depression at an elevated rate only if they also lack support from at least one adult.

  6. Gene implicated in development of autism

    A gene involved in fetal-brain development may predispose people to develop autism or several related disorders.

  7. Ecosystems

    One-Celled Socialites

    A wave of research on the social lives of bacteria offers insights into the evolution of cooperation and may lead to medical breakthroughs that neutralize virulent bacterial strains.

  8. Synchronized Thinking: Brain activity linked to schizophrenia, skillful meditation

    In separate studies, scientists linked distinctive, collective electrical discharges of brain cells to certain schizophrenia symptoms as well to integrated mental states attained by Buddhist meditators.

  9. Man’s brain incurs disgusting loss

    A brain-damaged man yields clues to the neural organization responsible for experiencing disgust.

  10. Brain sets sights on mind’s eye

    Brain regions implicated in vision may also contribute to the images in the "mind's eye."

  11. Wayfaring Sleepers: Brain area linked to slumber-aided recall

    Enhanced activity in an inner-brain structure called the hippocampus during sleep solidifies memories of recently visited places and the routes taken to get to them.

  12. Summer births linked to schizophrenia

    People who develop a severe form of schizophrenia are strikingly likely to have been born in June or July, raising the possibility that seasonal influences on early brain development contribute to this disorder.