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

    Notorious Bones

    South African finds enter fray over origins of the human genus.

  2. Anthropology

    War arose recently, anthropologists contend

    Infrequent killings among hunter-gatherer groups fit a scenario of a largely peaceful Stone Age, a study concludes.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Four-question test ID’s women with depression

    Simple decision tool shows potential as quick way to identify clinical depression.

  4. Anthropology

    Agriculture’s roots spread east to Iran

    Dig supports prolonged development of domesticated crops at ancient sites across the Fertile Crescent.

  5. Archaeology

    Pre-Inca empire tomb found untouched in Peru

    Gold jewelry, bronze axes and dozens of bodies were among the contents of the Wari empire ceremonial room.

  6. Humans

    Hard throwers evolved a long time ago

    Baseball hurlers provide clues to the ancient roots of bodies that can heave objects really fast.

  7. Humans

    Aerial radar sizes up ancient urban sprawl

    Angkor, the capital of Cambodia's Khmer empire, included carefully planned  suburbs that spread across the landscape.

  8. Health & Medicine

    DSM-5 enters the diagnostic fray

    Fifth edition of the widely used psychiatric manual focuses attention on how mental disorders should be defined.

  9. Archaeology

    Ancient Siberians may have rarely hunted mammoths

    Occasional kills by Stone Age humans could not have driven creatures to extinction, researchers say.

  10. Paleontology

    Fossil sheds light on early primates

    Partial skeleton near root of monkey, ape and human line.

  11. Psychology

    Less is more for smart perception

    Neural efficiency reigns in brains of high-IQ individuals as they view their surroundings, a new study indicates.

  12. Psychology

    Dog sniffs out grammar

    After years of word training, a canine intuitively figures out how simple sentences work.