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. Show me the data

    A debate has broken out over whether neuroscientists should share the voluminous data that they generate in their experiments.

  2. Traumas trip up inner-city girls

    Inner-city teenage girls may often experience a severe stress reaction that makes it more difficult for them to succeed in school.

  3. Where’s Poppa? Absent dads linked to early sex by daughters

    Long-term studies conducted in the United States and New Zealand indicate that girls are particularly likely to engage in sexual activity before age 16 and to get pregnant as teenagers if they grew up in families without a father present.

  4. Anthropology

    Lucy’s kind takes humanlike turn

    A new analysis of fossils from a more than 3-million-year-old species in the human evolutionary family reveals that the males were only moderately larger than the females, a finding that has implications for ancient social behavior.

  5. Adults’ brains show temperamental side

    Using brain-imaging techniques, psychologists have identified possible neural locations underlying shyness or gregariousness.

  6. U.S. survey probes depression care

    More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, but only 1 in 5 depressed people receives what psychiatrists consider to be adequate medication and psychotherapy.

  7. Anthropology

    The Ultimate Colonists

    Human ancestors managed to adjust to life in a variety of ecosystems during the Stone Age, indicating that their social lives were more complex than they've often been given credit for.

  8. Till IL-6 Do Us Part: Elderly caregivers show harmful immune effect

    Elderly people caring for their incapacitated spouses experienced dramatic average increases in the blood concentration of a protein involved in immune regulation, a trend that puts them at risk for a variety of serious illnesses.

  9. Anthropology

    The Forager King

    A celebrated anthropologist surprises and inspires his biographer.

  10. Archaeology

    Ancient Site Holds Cannibalism Clues

    An 800-year-old Anasazi site in Colorado yields contested evidence of cannibalism.

  11. Anthropology

    New Guinea Went Bananas: Agriculture’s roots get a South Pacific twist

    Inhabitants of New Guinea began to cultivate bananas in large quantities nearly 7,000 years ago, an agricultural practice that spread to Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific region.

  12. Brain perks up to uncertain threats

    The brain shows particular sensitivity to facial expressions that convey vague threats.