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. When autism aids memory

    People with autism may often have a superior memory for factual details, possibly because of their inability to use context in remembering information.

  2. Sleepers yield memorable brain images

    Rapid-eye-movement sleep may help consolidate some newly acquired memories, brain scans suggest.

  3. Mental ills attract alternative therapies

    A substantial minority of people suffering from mental ailments seek out alternative treatments, such as herbal medicines and nutritional regimens, usually without telling their physicians.

  4. Anthropology

    Gene test probes Neandertal origins

    A new DNA study supports the theory that Neandertals didn't contribute to the evolution of modern humans.

  5. Checking up on abuse memories

    An unusual trove of evidence in a criminal case supports the accuracy of recall of childhood sexual abuse.

  6. Energy-efficient brains

    Successful problem solving depends on a brain that efficiently lessens its workload rather than laboring harder.

  7. Raising Trust

    Some forager groups may nurture a sharing sense in their offspring.

  8. Prenatal problems linked to schizophrenia

    Three large, long-term studies found that periods of oxygen deprivation in the fetus, along with obesity and second-trimester respiratory infections in the mother, are associated with adult schizophrenia.

  9. Archaeology

    Neandertals’ diet put meat in their bones

    Chemical analyses of Neandertals' bones portray these ancient Europeans as skillful hunters and avid meat eaters, countering a theory that they mainly scavenged scraps of meat from abandoned carcasses.

  10. Cancer patients accentuate the positive

    Group therapy that promotes positive types of personal growth in breast cancer patients may also result in beneficial physiological changes.

  11. Dancing with feeling

    Indian classical dance provides a new way for scientists to explore cross-cultural understanding of emotions.

  12. Neural-learning ventures

    Sets of neurons may modify their activity in several ways to facilitate a basic type of learning.