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. Religious commitment linked to longer life

    A statistical analysis of 42 studies revealed that people who report heavy involvement in religious activities tend to have better physical health and live longer than those who don't.

  2. Building Blocks of Talk

    When babies babble, they may say a lot about speech.

  3. Attachment disorder draws closer look

    A substantial minority of children exposed to severe deprivation in institutions as infants can't form close relationships, a condition for which there is no established treatment.

  4. Extended test for bipolar drugs

    A long-term study finds some advantages for patients with manic-depressive illness taking an anticonvulsant drug, although placebos also have positive effects on this ailment.

  5. Emotional gain after verbal loss

    Brain-damaged people who have lost much of their ability to understand spoken sentences are better than healthy folks at picking up emotions that others are trying to conceal.

  6. Grade-Schoolers Grow into Sleep Loss

    By the sixth grade, many middle-class children may experience substantial sleep deprivation that has the potential to interfere with their ability to learn and pay attention.

  7. Paleontology

    Fossils Hint at Who Left Africa First

    Fossil skulls found in central Asia date to 1.7 million years ago and may represent the first ancestral human species to have left Africa.

  8. Paleontology

    Africa’s east coast netted ancient humans

    Excavations of an exposed reef on Africa's Red Sea coast indicate that humans lived there 125,000 years ago, pushing back the date for the earliest seaside settlement by at least 10,000 years.

  9. Cries and Greetings

    Baboon intimacy and detachment present vexing clues.

  10. Placebos for depression attract scrutiny

    FDA clinical trials suggest that placebos provide substantial relief to depressed patients, but debate continues about whether it's ethical to use placebos in studies of antidepressant drugs.

  11. Archaeology

    Guard dogs and horse riders

    More than 5,000 years ago, the Botai people of central Asia had ritual practices that appeared in many later cultures.

  12. Archaeology

    Ancient origins of fire use

    Human ancestors may have learned to control fire 1.7 million years ago in eastern Africa.