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.
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All Stories by Bruce Bower
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Dendrite decline in schizophrenia
Cell connections in a part of the brain's frontal lobe appear to dwindle in people with schizophrenia.
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Keys to expertise in the brain
A brain region linked to face recognition may foster expertise at identifying items in any category a person strives to master.
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Anthropology
Ancient populations were game for growth
Archaeological evidence of a Stone Age shift in dietary preferences, from slow to swift small game, suggests that the human population rose sharply sometime between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago.
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Speech loses beat in dyslexia
The severe reading disorder known as dyslexia may involve an inability to perceive a critical rhythmic beat that separates parts of spoken words.
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Resilient DNA: Gene may brighten future for abused kids
A long-term study in New Zealand indicates that a genetic variation associated with high concentrations of certain brain chemicals protects abused children from becoming violent and impulsive later in life.
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Sleep hits pothole on lonely street
Researchers have found that extremely lonely people get a poor night's sleep, a factor that may contribute to the link between loneliness and elevated incidence of physical illness and death.
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Corporal punishment takes research hit
A review of 88 studies concludes that corporal punishment, such as spanking, yields no psychological or behavioral benefits for children and may prove harmful in some cases.
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Staying Alive with Attitude: Beliefs about aging sway seniors’ survival
In a small Ohio town, people aged 50 and over who reported a positive outlook on aging lived about 7½ years longer than those who held negative views about getting older.
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Archaeology
Ancient site yields a copper whopper
Excavations in Jordan revealed the largest known Early Bronze Age metal-production facility, where workers crafted high-quality copper tools and ingots beginning around 4,700 years ago.
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Men of Prey
Scientists have started to uncover the roots of rape and child molesting, although questions remain about whether it's possible to identify who will be a repeat sex offender or to provide effective treatment for such behavior.
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Anthropology
Evolution’s Surprise: Fossil find uproots our early ancestors
Researchers announced the discovery of a nearly complete fossil skull, along with jaw fragments and isolated teeth, from the earliest known member of the human evolutionary family, which lived in central Africa between 7 million and 6 million years ago.
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The Eyes Have It: Newborns prefer faces with a direct gaze
Only a few days after birth, babies already home in on faces that fix them with a direct gaze and devote less attention to faces with eyes that look to one side.