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

    Telling stories from stone tools

    Existing stone tool categories may hide more than they reveal. New methods for analyzing stone artifacts aim to better reconstruct how hominids interacted and moved across Africa, Asia and Europe.

  2. Anthropology

    ‘The Invaders’ sees dogs as key to modern humans’ success

    Neandertals went extinct when Homo sapiens transformed wolves into hunting aids, author proposes.

  3. Anthropology

    Cache of eagle claws points to Neandertal jewelry-making

    Eagle-claw jewelry points to Neandertals’ symbolic behavior before contact with humans, researchers argue.

  4. Archaeology

    Ring brings ancient Viking, Islamic civilizations closer together

    Ancient find fingers ninth century connection between Vikings and Islamic civilization.

  5. Anthropology

    People moved into rainforests much earlier than thought

    People lived year-round in rainforests well before previous estimates, an analysis of teeth excavated in Sri Lanka suggests.

  6. Humans

    Ancient jaw may hold clues to origins of human genus

    A 2.8-million-year-old fossil from Ethiopia raises questions about the origins and evolution of the human genus, Homo.

  7. Anthropology

    Wheat reached England before farming

    European hunter-gatherers may have traded for agricultural products 8,000 years ago.

  8. Psychology

    Gene variant may foretell success in program for at-risk kids

    Disruptive children with DNA twist show biggest turnaround with 10-year intervention.

  9. Anthropology

    Fossil teeth flesh out ancient kids’ varied growth rates

    X-ray technique sheds light on hominids’ developmental variety.

  10. Paleontology

    Monkeys reached Americas about 36 million years ago

    Peruvian fossils suggest ancient African primates somehow crossed the Atlantic Ocean and gave rise to South American monkeys.

  11. Anthropology

    Ancient Maya bookmakers get paged in Guatemala

    New discoveries peg ritual specialists as force behind bark-paper tomes and wall murals.

  12. Anthropology

    Israeli fossil may recast history of first Europeans

    New find suggests humans mated with Neandertals in Middle East before taking on Europe.