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. Unsure Minds

    A controversial set of studies indicates that monkeys and dolphins know when they don't know the answer to certain tasks, an ability that presumably relies on conscious deliberations.

  2. Juggling takes stage as brain modifier

    Marked volume increases occur in visual areas of the brain as people learn to juggle and then are partly reversed when the budding jugglers stop practicing their newfound skill, a brain-scan investigation finds.

  3. Archaeology

    Lion skeleton found in Egyptian tomb

    Archaeologists found the skeleton of a once-mummified lion at an Egyptian site dating to more than 2,000 years ago, confirming suspicions that lions were revered as sacred animals.

  4. Sleeper Effects: Slumber may fortify memory, stir insight

    In two separate studies, researchers found that a specific sleep stage may amplify recent memories and that sleep can inspire problem-solving insights.

  5. 9/11’s Fatal Road Toll: Terror attacks presaged rise in U.S. car deaths

    Federal data indicate that fear of flying after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks caused a second toll of lives on U.S. roads in the last three months of that year.

  6. Dog personality: His master’s traits

    Personality traits may vary as much from one dog to another as they do from one person to another, a new study suggests.

  7. Human genes take evolutionary turns

    Researchers have identified a set of genes that has evolved an extensive pattern of alterations unique to people.

  8. Neural Road to Repression: Brain may block out undesired memories

    Specific brain structures work together to allow people to repress certain memories intentionally.

  9. Paleontology

    Ancestral Handful: Tiny skull puts Asia at root of primate tree

    Researchers have unearthed the partial skull of the oldest known primate, a tiny creature that lived in south-central China 55 million years ago.

  10. Archaeology

    Bones of Invention: German cave yields Stone Age figurines

    Three ivory figurines found in southwestern Germany may belong to one of the world's oldest known art traditions, dating to more than 30,000 years ago.

  11. Archaeology

    Bones of Invention: German cave yields Stone Age figurines

    Three ivory figurines found in southwestern Germany may belong to one of the world's oldest known art traditions, dating to more than 30,000 years ago.

  12. Anthropology

    Baboons demonstrate social proficiency

    Wild baboons exhibit a richer, more complex social life than scientists have often assumed, according to two new studies.