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

    Ancient granaries preceded the Agricultural Revolution

    Granaries excavated in Jordan indicate that people stored large quantities of wild cereals by about 11,300 years ago, a practice that led to the cultivation of domesticated plants, a new study suggests.

  2. Life

    Mosquito fish count comrades to stay alive

    New experiments indicate that mosquito fish can count small numbers of companions swimming in different groups, an ability that apparently evolved to assist these fish in avoiding predators.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Gene plus stress equals depression debate

    A reanalysis of data challenges a prominent report that a particular gene variant interacts with stressful experiences to promote depression, sparking controversy.

  4. Archaeology

    Engraved pigments point to ancient symbolic tradition

    Analyses of patterns incised on pieces of ancient pigment indicate that people in southern Africa passed along symbolic practices from 100,000 to 75,000 years ago, scientists say.

  5. Humans

    Children get social with virtual peers

    Life-size 3-D versions of children can draw kids with autism into social encounters and more news from the annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society in Park City, Utah, June 4-6.

  6. Think like a scientist

    A class of curious sixth-graders arguing over moist, mucky jars may represent the future of science education.

  7. Humans

    Autism care takes biological toll on mothers

    Caring for teens and young adults with autism not only creates intense psychological pressure on mothers but may promote sharply decreased production of a crucial stress hormone, a long-term study suggests.

  8. Animals

    Extensive toolkits give chimps a taste of honey

    Chimps living in central Africa’s dense forests make and use complex sets of tools to gather honey from beehives, further narrowing the gap between the way humans and chimps use tools.

  9. Humans

    The inner worlds of conspiracy believers

    A study of British volunteers finds that those who endorse 9/11 conspiracy theories also believe in other sorts of conspiracies and share certain personality characteristics.

  10. Archaeology

    Stone Age figurine has contentious origins

    A new study suggests that an ivory female figurine from Germany dates to at least 35,000 years ago, but that conclusion has sparked debate over the Stone Age origins of figurative art.

  11. Anthropology

    Hobbit foot, hippo skulls deepen ancestral mystery

    Hobbit fossils pose puzzling evolutionary questions for scientists in two new studies, one of hobbit foot bones and another of brain size in extinct pygmy hippos.

  12. Life

    Birds bust a move to musical beats

    Parrots and possibly other vocal-mimicking animals can synchronize their movements to a musical beat, two new studies suggest.