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

    ‘Modern’ humans get an ancient, nonhuman twist

    Two new reports suggest that hominids other than Homo sapiens made complex stone tools and fancy necklaces.

  2. Humans

    Zeus’ altar of ashes

    News from the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

  3. Humans

    Graffiti on the walls in Pompeii

    News from the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

  4. Psychology

    Newborns nurse long-term memories of smells

    Newborn babies readily link specific scents to breast-feeding and favor those smells as toddlers.

  5. Archaeology

    Ancient hominids may have been seafarers

    Researchers have discovered hundreds of African-style stone hand axes on Crete, suggesting that sea-going hominids reached the island hundreds of thousands of years ago en route to Europe.

  6. Evolution’s Bad Girl

    Ardi shakes up the fossil record.

  7. Anthropology

    Stone Age campers set up separate activity areas

    Hominids displayed advanced organizational thinking almost 800,000 years ago

  8. Anthropology

    Ancient Maya king shows his foreign roots

    Copán’s first king may have been part of a colonial expansion by another, distant Maya kingdom.

  9. Psychology

    Depression medication may offer mood lift via personality shift

    A new study suggests that commonly used antidepressants may work after first altering personality traits.

  10. Anthropology

    Contested signs of mass cannibalism

    A new study yields controversial evidence of mass cannibalism in central Europe 7,000 years ago.

  11. Humans

    A timely touch transforms speech perception

    New research indicates that what people hear others saying depends on their skin, not just their ears.

  12. Humans

    Visual illusion stumps adults but not kids

    Finding suggests that sensitivity to visual context develops slowly.