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. Archaeology

    Copper in Ötzi the Iceman’s ax came from surprisingly far away

    Copper for the ancient Iceman’s blade traveled about 500 kilometers to his northern Italian home region.

  2. Anthropology

    Fossil tooth pushes back record of mysterious Neandertal relative

    A Denisovan child’s fossil tooth dates to at least 100,000 years ago, researchers say.

  3. Anthropology

    Carved human skulls found at ancient worship center in Turkey

    Visitors to an ancient ritual site may have carved human skulls as part of ancestor worship.

  4. Archaeology

    Sound-reflecting shelters inspired ancient rock artists

    Ancient Europeans sought rock art sites where sounds carried.

  5. Psychology

    African farmers’ kids conquer the marshmallow test

    Nso farmers in Cameroon groom kids for self-control that Western peers often lack.

  6. Anthropology

    Oldest known Homo sapiens fossils come from northern Africa, studies claim

    Moroccan fossils proposed as oldest known H. sapiens, from around 300,000 years ago.

  7. Archaeology

    Peru’s plenty brought ancient human migration to a crawl

    Ancient Americans reached Peru 15,000 years ago and stayed put, excavations suggest.

  8. Archaeology

    Tool sharpens focus on Stone Age networking in the Middle East

    Stone Age tool’s route to Syrian site covered at least 700 kilometers.

  9. Anthropology

    European fossils may belong to earliest known hominid

    With new analyses of Graecopithecus fossils from Greece and Bulgaria, researchers argue for possible hominid origins in Europe, not Africa.

  10. Archaeology

    Chaco Canyon’s ancient civilization continues to puzzle

    A dynasty may have risen from the dead in an ancient Chaco great house.

  11. Anthropology

    Homo naledi may have lived at around same time as early humans

    South African species Homo naledi is much younger than previously thought.

  12. Archaeology

    Twisted textile cords may contain clues to Inca messages

    A writing system from the 1700s may illuminate even older knotty Inca messages.