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. Brains show evolutionary designs

    Mammal species exhibit basic types of brain design from which they have evolved a wide array of brain sizes, according to a new analysis.

  2. Domesticated goats show unique gene mix

    A genetic analysis finds a surprising amount of genetic unity in goats living in Europe, Africa, and Asia, supporting the theory that goats were widely transported and traded throughout human history.

  3. Dolphins may seek selves in mirror images

    Dolphins apparently recognize their own reflections.

  4. School kids cite widespread bullying

    A substantial proportion of children in grades 6 through 10 report bullying other children or being bullied themselves.

  5. Music, language may meet in the brain

    Brain areas considered crucial for understanding language may also play an important role in music perception.

  6. Anthropology

    Peru Holds Oldest New World City

    Construction of massive ceremonial buildings and residential areas at a Peruvian site began 4,000 years ago, making it the earliest known city in the Americas.

  7. Back from the Brink

    Psychological and supportive programs for schizophrenia sufferers, often used in combination with antipsychotic drugs, are attracting increasing research interest in the United States and Europe.

  8. Anthropology

    Human ancestors made ancient entry to Java

    Layers of hardened volcanic ash on the Indonesian island of Java have yielded evidence that Homo erectus reached eastern Asia by 1.5 million years ago and remained there until about 1 million years ago.

  9. Anthropology

    . . . and then takes some lumps

    The skeletal diversity that many scientists use to divide up fossil species in our evolutionary past masks a genetic unity that actually encompassed relatively few species, contend researchers in an opposing camp.

  10. Anthropology

    Our family tree does the splits…

    Large-scale changes in climate and habitats may have sparked the evolution of many new animal species in Africa beginning 7 million to 5 million years ago, including a string of new species in the human evolutionary family.

  11. Viruses may play a part in schizophrenia

    Scientists have for the first time linked high levels of retroviral activity in the central nervous system to some cases of schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder.

  12. Anthropology

    Early Brazilians Unveil African Look

    Prehistoric human skulls found in Brazil share some traits with modern Africans, leading a Brazilian scientist to theorize that Africans rather than Asians first arrived in the Americas sometime before 11,000 years ago.