Bruce Bower

Behavioral Sciences Writer, Science News

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. Archaeology

    Iron Age grave in England points to a possible woman warrior

    The grave holds a sword. It hints the buried woman fought or helped plan raids some 2,000 years ago in what’s now southwest England.

  2. Archaeology

    American democracy arrived long before Columbus did

    Indigenous peoples of the Americas developed self-rule long before the pilgrims arrived or the U.S. Constitution was written.

  3. Archaeology

    King Tut’s tomb still holds secrets 100 years after its discovery

    New details of Tut’s story are still coming to light. Here are three things to know on the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery.

  4. Humans

    Long-lost ‘smellscapes’ are wafting from artifacts and old texts

    By studying and reviving old scents, archaeologists are finding new clues about how ancient Egyptians experienced their world through smell.

  5. Humans

    The earliest known pants are surprisingly modern — and comfy

    This 3,000-year-old garment was not only stylish but also functional. By recreating it, scientists also unraveled its complex and multicultural origins.

  6. Archaeology

    Our species may have reached Europe while Neandertals were there

    Archaeological finds from an ancient French rock-shelter show periodic settlements by both populations, just not at the same time.

  7. Archaeology

    Vikings were in North America 1,000 years ago

    Wooden objects provide the most precise dating yet for a Viking settlement on the coast of Newfoundland in Canada.

  8. Archaeology

    A medieval grave may have held a powerful nonbinary person

    A 1,000-year-old grave in Finland, once thought to hold a respected woman warrior, may belong to someone who didn’t have a strictly male or female identity.

  9. Archaeology

    Skeletons point to world’s oldest known shark attacks

    The newfound remains came from people who had lived thousands of years ago in Peru and Japan, half a world apart.

  10. Archaeology

    Fossils unearthed in Israel reveal possible new human ancestor

    They come from a previously unknown Stone Age group that may represent a complex mashup of early members of our genus Homo.

  11. Archaeology

    Tennessee site yields oldest known American tattoo tools

    Native Americans may have used sharpened turkey leg bones as tattoo needles between 5,520 and 3,620 years ago.

  12. Genetics

    Europe’s ancient humans often hooked up with Neandertals

    DNA from ancient bones shows humans and Neandertals were regularly mixing genes by about 45,000 years ago.