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

    Human ancestors engraved abstract patterns

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

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Psychology

    Right questions could help spot devious air passengers

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

  5. 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.

  6. Psychology

    With a tap on the back, researchers create ghostly sensation

    Experimentally induced illusion probes supernatural experiences, hallucinations.

  7. Psychology

    Mastering the art of self-control

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

  8. Psychology

    Rip-off victims prefer compensation to retribution

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

  9. Genetics

    Easter Islanders sailed to Americas, DNA suggests

    Genetic ties among present-day populations point to sea crossings centuries before European contact with Easter Island.

  10. Humans

    Oldest human DNA narrows time of Neandertal hookups

    A 45,000-year-old Siberian bone provides genetic clues about the timing of interbreeding between ancient humans and Neandertals.

  11. Psychology

    Majority doesn’t always rule in teen booze use

    Having one abstainer as a friend cuts teens’ odds of getting drunk and binge drinking, a study finds.

  12. Anthropology

    Ancient Greek shipwreck found to be world’s largest

    Special diving suits enable discovery that much of a nearly 2,100-year-old Greek vessel and its cargo survive.