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. Psychology

    Your window to learn new languages may still be open

    Results from an online grammar quiz suggest that people who start learning a second language at age 10 or 12 can still learn it well.

  2. Animals

    Compared to other primates, humans get little sleep

    Short bouts of a sleep, called REM, separate humans from other primates, scientists find. Sleeping on the ground may have a lot to do with it.

  3. Fossils

    Ancient jaw suggests humans left Africa earlier than thought

    A fossil jaw found in a cave in Israel is at least 177,000 years old. The scientists who found it think it shows humans left Africa much earlier than thought.

  4. Archaeology

    Fiery tests suggest gooey tech by Neandertals

    Neandertals could have used simple methods and handy materials to make tar. It would have helped them glue their tools together.

  5. Archaeology

    Clay reveals secrets of China’s mysterious terra-cotta army

    Production of the famous terra-cotta troops found in ancient Chinese emperor’s tomb was made possible by a specialized system of clay manufacturing.

  6. Archaeology

    European fossils may belong to earliest known hominid

    New fossils suggest that the earliest non-ape human ancestors may have evolved in Europe, not Africa.

  7. Fossils

    Study claims to have found oldest human fossils

    Humans, as a species, may be much older than previously thought. They also may have evolved further North and West of the suspected cradle of human evolution.

  8. Archaeology

    America’s first settlers may have arrived 130,000 years ago

    An archaeological site where mastodon remains were found suggests that the first Americans may have arrived unexpectedly early.

  9. Fossils

    This hominid may have shared Earth with humans

    Newfound fossils in South Africa point to a far more recent age for Homo naledi than had been accepted. If correct, this hominid might have coexisted with humans — even interacted with our species.

  10. Archaeology

    Stone Age dentists treated cavities with tar

    Is Italy the home of dentistry? That’s where treated tooth decay has been found, dating back 14 millennia. Cavities appear picked clean with sharp tools. Ouch!

  11. Health & Medicine

    Ötzi the mummified Iceman actually froze to death

    Ötzi the Iceman, a mummy whose icy 5,300-year-old remains turned up in the Alps in 1991, died of the cold — not murder. That’s the result of new forensic analyses.

  12. Archaeology

    Silk Road’s origins may date back millennia

    The mountain treks of ancient herders helped mold a cross-continent trade network known as the Silk Road.