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. Youthful nicotine addiction may be growing

    Although the rate of daily cigarette smoking has declined among teenagers and young adults over the past 20 years, the number of smokers in this age range who develop nicotine dependence has risen dramatically.

  2. Archaeology

    Ancestors who came in from the cold

    Researchers found the remains of a 36,000-year-old human occupation in the Russian Arctic, which represents the earliest evidence of a human presence that far north.

  3. Archaeology

    Neandertals used tools with versatility

    Microscopic data from artifacts found at two Ukrainian sites indicate that Neandertals used stone tools in flexible ways that allowed them to maintain a broad diet for nearly 50,000 years.

  4. Anthropology

    Neandertals show ancient signs of caring

    A partial jaw unearthed in France indicates that Neandertals extensively cared for sick and infirm comrades beginning nearly 200,000 years ago.

  5. Glutamate paths surface in schizophrenia

    Three new studies indicate that altered transmission of glutamate, a key brain chemical, plays an influential role in the severe mental disorder known as schizophrenia.

  6. A tip of the tongue to the brain

    Researchers have identified several brain areas that together underlie the experience of feeling certain that a piece of forgotten information is nonetheless on the tip of one's tongue.

  7. Audiovisual aids may lessen dyslexia

    A short training course in matching sound sequences with visual patterns shows promise as a way to boost reading skills in children with dyslexia.

  8. Human Brains May Take Unique Turn

    Preliminary evidence indicates that the human brain may undergo a unique form of fetal development that facilitates the growth of brain areas involved in symbolic thought and language.

  9. Psychopaths may come in two varieties

    Preliminary evidence suggests that some psychopaths, who exploit others and commit crimes without guilt or remorse, avoid criminal conviction by relying on a heightened emotional sensitivity to risky situations.

  10. Brains in Dreamland

    Sigmund Freud's century-old dream theory gets a contrasting reception from two current neuroscientific accounts of how and why the brain generates dreams.

  11. Nursing moms face meds dilemma

    A research review yields a little advice and a lot of uncertainty for nursing mothers with mental disorders who may expose their babies to potential dangers if they take prescribed psychoactive drugs.

  12. Medicinal mirth gets research rebuke

    Little scientific evidence to date supports any of the purported physical health benefits of laughter and humor, a psychologist concludes.