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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Anthropology
Water tubing accidents, table run-ins cause Neandertal-like injuries
People’s injury patterns today can’t explain how Neandertals got so many head wounds.
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Archaeology
First settlers reached Americas 130,000 years ago, study claims
Mastodon site suggests first Americans arrived unexpectedly early.
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Humans
Homo naledi’s brain shows humanlike features
South African Homo species had small but humanlike brain, scientists say.
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Archaeology
Oldest evidence of patterned silk loom found in China
Chinese finds offer earliest look at game-changing weaving machine.
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Anthropology
Ötzi the Iceman froze to death
Copper Age Iceman froze to death, with shoulder and head damage.
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Archaeology
Shock-absorbing spear points kept early North Americans on the hunt
Ancient Americans invented a way to make spear points last on an unfamiliar continent.
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Archaeology
Stone Age hunter-gatherers tackled their cavities with a sharp tool and tar
Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers scraped and coated away tooth decay.
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Psychology
Out-of-body experiments show kids’ budding sense of self
Sensing that “my body is me” starts early and develops over many years.
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Anthropology
Neandertals had an eye for patterns
Neandertals carved notches in a raven bone, possibly to produce a pleasing or symbolic pattern, scientists say.
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Archaeology
Palace remains in Mexico point to ancient rise of centralized power
An ancient royal structure gets new life in southern Mexico.
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Archaeology
Ancient Romans may have been cozier with Huns than they let on
Nomadic Huns and Roman farmers shared ways of life on the Roman Empire’s fifth century frontier.
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Genetics
In 1967, LSD was briefly labeled a breaker of chromosomes
Claims that the hallucinogenic drug damaged DNA were quickly rejected. But questions remain about how LSD works.