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. Anthropology

    Ancient DNA unveils a previously unknown line of Neandertals

    DNA from a partial skeleton found in France indicates that European Neandertals consisted of at least two genetically distinct populations.

  2. Archaeology

    Stonehenge’s mysterious Altar Stone had roots in Scotland

    New analyses indicate that this weighty piece of the site’s architecture, once thought to come from Wales, was somehow moved at least 750 kilometers.

  3. Archaeology

    Was Egypt’s first pyramid built with hydraulics? The theory may hold water

    A controversial analysis contends that ancient engineers designed a water-powered elevator to hoist stones for King Djoser’s pyramid.

  4. Anthropology

    An Egyptian mummy’s silent ‘scream’ might have been fixed at death

    A rare muscle-stiffening reaction could explain the open-mouthed expression of a mummy known as the Screaming Woman, scientists suggest.

  5. Archaeology

    A new study challenges the idea that Rapa Nui islanders caused an ‘ecocide’

    Rapa Niu islanders farmed and fished enough to feed only a few thousand people, too few to decimate society before Europeans arrived, researchers contend.

  6. Science & Society

    ‘After 1177 B.C.’ describes how societies fared when the Bronze Age ended

    Archaeologist Eric H. Cline’s new book reconstructs ancient examples of societal resilience and fragility that have modern-day relevance.

  7. Anthropology

    Child sacrifices at famed Maya site were all boys, many closely related

    DNA analysis shows victims in one underground chamber at Chichén Itzá included twins, perhaps representing mythological figures.

  8. Anthropology

    Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution

    A kneecap and two teeth belonged to the smallest known great ape, a study contends. If so, it’s the first to coexist with another great ape in Europe.

  9. Archaeology

    One of the world’s earliest farming villages housed surprisingly few people

    Hundreds, not thousands, occupied the Turkish site of Çatalhöyük nearly 9,000 years ago, undermining arguments for a Neolithic social revolution.

  10. Archaeology

    A puzzling mix of artifacts raises questions about Homo sapiens' travels to China

    A reexamined Chinese site points to a cultural mix of Homo sapiens with Neandertals or Denisovans.

  11. How Ötzi the Iceman really got his tattoos

    Modern tattooing experiments challenge a popular idea about how the roughly 5,200-year-old mummified man got marked with dark lines.

  12. Archaeology

    These South American cave paintings reveal a surprisingly old tradition

    Radiocarbon dates point to an artistic design practice that began in Patagonia almost 8,200 years ago, several millennia earlier than previously recorded.