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. Psychology

    Marijuana use starting in youth implicated in financial woes

    Long-term, heavy pot smoking linked to financial troubles by age 38.

  2. Archaeology

    Possible second Viking site found in Newfoundland

    Newfoundland excavation reveals possible Norse settlement.

  3. Anthropology

    Hobbits died out earlier than thought

    Tiny Indonesian hominids disappeared earlier than thought, around 50,000 years ago.

  4. Humans

    Pacific islanders got a double whammy of Stone Age DNA

    Neandertal and Denisovan genes influence the health of present-day Melanesians.

  5. Anthropology

    Ancient DNA reveals who is in Spain’s ‘pit of bones’ cave

    Ancient DNA shows Neandertals lived in northern Spain 430,000 years ago; the early date raises new questions about Neandertals’ origins.

  6. Anthropology

    H. erectus cut, chewed way through evolution

    A diet that included raw, sliced meat changed the face of early Homo evolution, scientists say.

  7. Psychology

    Psychology’s replication crisis sparks new debate

    Controversy flares again about whether psychology studies survive further scrutiny.

  8. Archaeology

    11,000-year-old pendant with etched design found in England

    Stone artifact with design etched on it comes from a transitional time in England 11,000 years ago.

  9. Archaeology

    Tailored Egyptian dress is the oldest ever found

    A pleated dress found in an ancient Egyptian cemetery called Tarkhan was cut, fitted and tailored between 5,400 and 5,100 years ago.

  10. Archaeology

    Easter Island people used sharpened stones as tools, not weapons

    Sharp-edged stone tools enabled daily survival, not warfare, on Easter Island.

  11. Tech

    New clues illuminate mysteries of ancient Egyptian portraits

    New analyses shed light on how ancient Egyptian “mummy paintings” were made.

  12. Anthropology

    Rise of human civilization tied to belief in punitive gods

    Beliefs in all-knowing, punitive deities may have fueled the growth of human civilizations.