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. Anthropology

    Ancient head case

    A 1.8-million-year-old Homo erectus skullcap came from a 1-year-old child whose brain grew at a rate more like that of chimpanzees than of people.

  2. Mothering Malnutrition: Moms’ depression weighs on infants in Pakistan

    Maternal depression critically contributes to malnutrition-related health problems among infants in rural Pakistan.

  3. Anthropology

    Human ancestor gets leg up on walking

    A new analysis of a 6-million-year-old leg fossil from a member of the human evolutionary family indicates that this individual walked upright with nearly the same deftness as people today do.

  4. The woman who lost her capacity to dream

    A rare instance in which brain damage caused a woman to lose the ability to dream may help scientists understand the neural basis of dreaming.

  5. Anthropology

    In the Neandertal Mind

    Neandertals possessed much the same mental capacity as ancient people did, but a genetically inspired memory boost toward the end of the Stone Age may have allowed Homo sapiens to prosper while Neandertals died out.

  6. A Very Spatial Brain Defect: Gene disorder blocks neural path for vision

    Among its many unusual symptoms, the genetic disorder called Williams syndrome robs people of depth perception and the ability to visualize how different parts assemble into larger objects.

  7. Cultured Readers: Chinese kids show new neural side of dyslexia

    Brain disturbances that underlie the inability to read a non-alphabetic script, such as Chinese, differ from those already implicated in the impaired reading of alphabetic systems, such as English.

  8. A call to arms aids recovery of sight

    A man was able to recover some of the sight he lost as a result of brain damage simply by reaching out toward objects near his body, researchers say.

  9. Babies’ sound path to language skills

    A test of early speech perception shows promise as a way to identify 6-month-olds headed for language difficulties as toddlers.

  10. Ringing Out Despair: Phone therapy gets call as depression buster

    Psychotherapy delivered over the telephone shows promise as a depression treatment when offered in conjunction with prescribed antidepressant medication.

  11. Lifting the Mood: Depressed teens benefit from combined therapy

    Treatment that includes both an antidepressant drug and talk therapy is especially beneficial for teenagers diagnosed with major depression.

  12. To Err Is Human

    Two researchers have issued a blunt critique of what they see as a misguided emphasis on immoral behaviors and mental flaws in many social psychology studies.