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

    Year in review: Asian cave art got an early start

    Stone Age cave painting began at about the same time in Southeast Asia as in Europe, challenging the idea that Western Europeans cornered the market on creativity 40,000 years ago.

  2. Neuroscience

    Year in review: The nose knows a trillion odors

    Humans can suss out more than 1 trillion different smells, a 2014 study estimated.

  3. Humans

    Year in review: Genes, bones tell new Clovis stories

    The genes and bones of the Clovis people reveal the range and legacy of the early North Americans.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Hallucinated voices’ attitudes vary with culture

    Culture puts good or bad spin on voices heard by people with schizophrenia.

  5. Archaeology

    Human ancestors engraved abstract patterns

    Indonesian Homo erectus carved zigzags on a shell at least 430,000 years ago.

  6. Archaeology

    Golden Fleece myth was based on real events, geologists contend

    Jason’s legend grew out of long-distance trade with people who used sheepskins to collect gold.

  7. Archaeology

    Barley elevated Central Asian farmers to ‘the roof of the world’

    Hardy western crops allowed villagers to settle in the cold, thin air atop the Tibetan Plateau.

  8. Psychology

    Right questions could help spot devious air passengers

    Training airport security agents to ask detail-oriented questions of travelers may help unmask liars.

  9. Psychology

    Rigors of Mars trip make teamwork a priority

    It’s going to take a different kind of mental approach to travel to Mars and back: less individuality, more collaboration and adaptability. Astronauts are being tested to prepare for such a mission.

  10. Psychology

    With a tap on the back, researchers create ghostly sensation

    Experimentally induced illusion probes supernatural experiences, hallucinations.

  11. Psychology

    Mastering the art of self-control

    Walter Mischel, the psychologist behind the marshmallow test, discusses his new book on self-control and willpower.

  12. Psychology

    Rip-off victims prefer compensation to retribution

    But those acting on behalf of victims favor a punishment that fits the crime.