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. Humans

    From the ashes, the oldest controlled fire

    A South Africa cave yields the oldest secure evidence for a blaze controlled by human ancestors.

  2. Humans

    New ancestor grasped at walking

    By 3.4 million years ago, two human relatives built differently for upright movement inhabited East Africa.

  3. Psychology

    Visions For All

    People who report vivid religious experiences may hold clues to nonpsychotic hallucinations.

  4. Humans

    Evolution takes Asian refuge

    Multiple humanlike species may have arisen in cold-weather retreats and then interbred with ancient people.

  5. Psychology

    Pi master’s storied recall

    Remembering more than 60,000 consecutive numbers takes exhaustive practice at spinning yarns.

  6. Psychology

    Kids flex cultural muscles

    Young children, but not chimps or monkeys, generate collective leaps of knowledge.

  7. Humans

    Shelters date to Stone Age

    Middle Eastern foragers inhabited dwellings for months at a time around 20,000 years ago.

  8. Psychology

    Babies catch words early

    Vocabulary learning starts when babies can barely babble.

  9. Psychology

    Vodka delivers shot of creativity

    Alcohol intoxication raises men’s performance on a test of verbal ingenuity.

  10. Animals

    Chimps lend a hand

    The finding suggests nonhuman primates recognize their peers’ intentions and desires.

  11. Psychology

    Fighting willpower’s catch-22

    Avoiding daily temptations works better than using willpower, which has oddly unintended effects.

  12. Humans

    Catching a mood on Facebook

    Happiness and other feelings filter among online friends through their brief posts.