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.
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All Stories by Bruce Bower
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Humans
No nuts for you, Nutcracker Man
Tooth analysis shows huge-jawed hominid grazed on grasses and sedges.
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Humans
Most Neandertals were right-handers
Right handedness, and perhaps spoken language, originated at least a half million years ago, a new study suggests.
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Psychology
Why some gorillas go unseen
Attention differences help to explain why some people don't notice surprising sights.
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Humans
Possibly pivotal human ancestor debated
An ancient species that may have sparked the rise of humankind gets a new appraisal.
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Life
Gone fishing, orangutan-style
Apes that catch fish in ponds and eat them raise the possibility that ancient hominids did the same.
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Humans
Genetic roots of ‘orchid’ children
Kids who inherit certain DNA variants may be most likely to wilt in bad circumstances and bloom in good ones.
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Humans
Rising seas made China’s ancient mariners
Ancient environmental changes produced a maritime culture that colonized Taiwan 5,000 years ago, archaeologists contend.
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Humans
Go east, ancient tool makers
New finds put African hand ax makers in India as early as 1.5 million years ago.
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Archaeology
Pueblo traded for chocolate big-time
New evidence of ancient Pueblo cacao drinking feeds a theory of long-distance trade.
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Humans
Iron Age goldsmith retooled
An ancient warrior's tomb brings back jewelry making from 2,400 years ago.
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Humans
In-laws transformed early human society
A study of today's hunter-gatherers finds marital relationships help spread a social fabric.
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Psychology
A man lost in musical time
A man who can’t feel music’s pulse or move in time to it provides initial clues to ‘beat deafness.’