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

    Y Trail of the First Americans: DNA data point to late New World entry

    Scientists identified a gene variant on the Y chromosome that allowed them to estimate that people first reached the Americas no earlier than about 18,000 years ago.

  2. Archaeology

    Ancient tunnel keeps biblical date

    Radiocarbon dating of material from an ancient tunnel in Jerusalem indicates that the passage was built around 700 B.C., supporting a biblical account of the tunnel's construction.

  3. Archaeology

    Origins of Smelting: Lake yields core of pre-Inca silver making

    Metal concentrations in soil extracted from a Bolivian lake indicate that silver production in the region began 1,000 years ago, 4 centuries before well-known silver-making efforts by the Incas.

  4. Widows show third-year rebound

    Women whose husbands die largely overcome their grief-related problems, including depression and social isolation, by about 3 years after their loss, according to a national study.

  5. Brains generate a body of feeling

    Happiness, sadness, and other basic emotions activate unique networks of brain areas that track the body's internal status.

  6. Abused kids lose emotional bearings

    Physical abuse and neglect appear to undermine preschoolers' emotional development in different ways.

  7. Memory echoes in brain’s sensory terrain

    The process of remembering an event reactivates brain regions that were involved in initially seeing or hearing the event.

  8. DNA Tie for Two Disorders: Genetic defects link psychiatric ailments

    Alterations of genes that produce a protective, fatty coating for brain cells may influence the development of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

  9. Babies show eye for object lessons

    Between 4 months and 6 months of age, babies learn that objects continue to exist even when they disappear behind barriers.

  10. Flag raised for kids’ mental health

    A study of North Carolina children and teenagers finds that at least 1 in 3 developed one or more psychiatric disorders by age 16.

  11. Buyer Beware

    A growing number of psychological studies conclude that excessively materialistic values undermine happiness and well-being, although the emotional effects of pursuing money and fancy possessions remain controversial.

  12. Anthropology

    Continental Survivors: Baja skulls shake up American ancestry

    Members of a foraging group that lived on Mexico's Baja peninsula around 600 years ago were direct descendants of America's first settlers, who arrived on the continent at least 12,000 years ago.