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

    A hole in an ancient cow’s skull could have been surgery practice

    Before performing skull operations on people, ancient surgeons may have rehearsed on cows.

  2. Archaeology

    This ancient Maya city may have helped the Snake King dynasty spread

    A rural hub in an ancient Maya state gets its due with some laser help.

  3. Archaeology

    Dogs lived and died with humans 10,000 years ago in the Americas

    Dogs unearthed at sites in Illinois were older than originally thought.

  4. Archaeology

    Tales of rampant suicide among Custer’s soldiers may be overblown

    Few of Custer’s men killed themselves in the face of overwhelming Native American numbers at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, skeletal data suggest.

  5. Anthropology

    Finger fossil puts people in Arabia at least 86,000 years ago

    A desert discovery suggests that Arabia was an ancient human destination.

  6. Anthropology

    Ardi walked the walk 4.4 million years ago

    Ancient hominid evolved upright stance without sacrificing climbing ability.

  7. Archaeology

    Footprints put people on Canada’s west coast 13,000 years ago

    Island tracks indicate early New World settlers traveled down the North American Pacific coast about 13,000 years ago.

  8. Anthropology

    Modern chimp brains share similarities with ancient hominids

    MRIs suggest certain brain folding patterns don’t mark ancient humanlike neural advances after all, raising questions about hominid brain evolution.

  9. Science & Society

    Why science still can’t pinpoint a mass shooter in the making

    Arguments flare over mass public shootings that remain scientifically mysterious.

  10. Anthropology

    Ancient climate shifts may have sparked human ingenuity and networking

    Stone tools signal rise of social networking by 320,000 years ago in East Africa, researchers argue.

  11. Anthropology

    Museum mummies sport world’s oldest tattoo drawings

    A wild bull and symbolic designs were imprinted on the bodies of two Egyptians at least 5,000 years ago.

  12. Anthropology

    Humans don’t get enough sleep. Just ask other primates.

    Short, REM-heavy sleep bouts separate humans from other primates, scientists find. Sleeping on the ground may have a lot to do with it.