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

    Continental Survivors: Baja skulls shake up American ancestry

    Members of a foraging group that lived on Mexico's Baja peninsula around 600 years ago were direct descendants of America's first settlers, who arrived on the continent at least 12,000 years ago.

  2. Dyslexia’s DNA Clue: Gene takes stage in learning disorder

    For the first time, scientists have identified a gene that appears to influence the development of at least some cases of dyslexia.

  3. Meditation changes

    People who meditate display particularly strong immune responses and brain activity that has been linked to emotional improvements, according to preliminary data.

  4. Tech

    Mind-Expanding Machines

    Researchers have designed computer systems aimed at amplifying human thought and perception, such as a new type of cockpit display for aircraft pilots that exploits the power of peripheral vision.

  5. Uneasy Breathing: Lung ills linked to suicidal thoughts

    Patients who suffer from asthma and other lung disorders report thoughts of suicide and self-harm far more often than do people treated for other physical illnesses.

  6. Near-death events take arresting turn

    A survey of people treated for serious heart problems indicates that 1 in 10 of those who survived cardiac arrest had an accompanying near-death experience.

  7. Naps with stages spark learning

    Napping shows potential as a way to stimulate learning.

  8. Giving Aid, Staying Alive: Elderly helpers have longevity advantage

    Over a 5-year period, older people who offered a lot of social support to their spouses, friends, relatives, and neighbors displayed a lower mortality rate than seniors who gave little or no social support.

  9. Where’s Poppa? Absent dads linked to early sex by daughters

    Long-term studies conducted in the United States and New Zealand indicate that girls are particularly likely to engage in sexual activity before age 16 and to get pregnant as teenagers if they grew up in families without a father present.

  10. Anthropology

    Lucy’s kind takes humanlike turn

    A new analysis of fossils from a more than 3-million-year-old species in the human evolutionary family reveals that the males were only moderately larger than the females, a finding that has implications for ancient social behavior.

  11. Adults’ brains show temperamental side

    Using brain-imaging techniques, psychologists have identified possible neural locations underlying shyness or gregariousness.

  12. U.S. survey probes depression care

    More than half of all people with major depression now seek treatment for the disorder, but only 1 in 5 depressed people receives what psychiatrists consider to be adequate medication and psychotherapy.