Estelle Getty, the matriarch of the Golden Girls, has died.

George Carlin has died.

Charlton Heston has died. I disliked Charlton Heston immensely. Excuse me while I fail to mourn.

Alex the Parrot has died of unknown causes.

Press Release

WALTHAM, MA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2007)—Alex, the world renowned African Grey parrot made famous by the ground-breaking cognition and communication research conducted by Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., died at the age of 31 on September 6, 2007. Dr. Pepperberg’s pioneering research resulted in Alex learning elements of English speech to identify 50 different objects, 7 colors, 5 shapes, quantities up to and including 6 and a zero-like concept. He used phrases such as “I want X” and “Wanna go Y”, where X and Y were appropriate object and location labels. He acquired concepts of categories, bigger and smaller, same-different, and absence. Alex combined his labels to identify, request, refuse, and categorize more than 100 different items demonstrating a level and scope of cognitive abilities never expected in an avian species. Pepperberg says that Alex showed the emotional equivalent of a 2 year-old child and intellectual equivalent of a 5 year-old. Her research with Alex shattered the generally held notion that parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry.

In 1973, Dr. Pepperberg was working on her doctoral thesis in theoretical chemistry at Harvard University when she watched Nova programs on signing chimps, dolphin communication and, most notably, on why birds sing. She realized that the fields of avian cognition and communication were not only of personal interest to her but relatively uncharted territory. When she finished her thesis, she left the field of chemistry to pursue a new direction—to explore the depths of the avian mind. She decided to conduct her research with an African Grey parrot. In order to assure she was working with a bird representative of its species, she asked the shop owner to randomly choose any African Grey from his collection. It was Alex. And so the 1-year old Alex, his name an acronym for the research project, Avian Learning EXperiment, became an integral part of Pepperberg’s life and the pioneering studies she was about to embark upon.

Over the course of 30 years of research, Dr. Pepperberg and Alex revolutionized the notions of how birds think and communicate. What Alex taught Dr. Pepperberg about cognition and communication has been applied to therapies to help children with learning disabilities. Alex’s learning process is based on the rival-model technique in which two humans demonstrate to the bird what is to be learned. Alex and Dr. Pepperberg have been affiliated with Purdue University, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, the MIT Media Lab, the Radcliffe Institute, and most recently, Harvard University and Brandeis University.
Alex has been featured worldwide on numerous science programs including the BBC, NHK, Discovery and PBS. He is well known for his interactions with Alan Alda in an episode of Scientific American Frontiers on PBS and from an episode of the famed PBS Nature series called “Look Who’s Talking.” Reports on Alex’s accomplishments have appeared in the popular press and international news from USA Today to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The Science Times section of the New York Times featured Alex in a front-page story in 1999. That same year, Dr. Pepperberg published The Alex Studies, a comprehensive review of her decades of learning about learning from Alex. Many other television appearances and newspaper articles followed.

Alex was found to be in good health at his most recent annual physical about two weeks ago. According to the vet who conducted the necropsy, there was no obvious cause of death. Dr. Pepperberg will continue her innovative research program at Harvard and Brandeis University with Griffin and Arthur, two other young African Grey parrots who have been a part of the ongoing research program.

Alex has left a significant legacy—not only have he and Dr. Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds, but they have forever changed our perception of the term “bird brains.”

If you choose to help support this research, please consider making a donation in Alex’s memory to The Alex Foundation, c/o Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Department of Psychology/MS-062, 415 South Street, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454.

Goodbye Alex, the world will miss you — Fly high, little dude!

Tonight, ABC’s Primetime featured a story on Flathead Valley native Jennifer Servo. In 2002, the University of Montana graduate moved to Abiline, TX, where she had been hired by KRBC news. Less than three months later she was found murdered in her apartment. The primary person of interest is Ralph Sepulveda, who moved with Jennifer to Abilene.

Following graduation from University of Montana with a degree in journalism, 22 year old Jennifer Lynn Olson - Servo, an active U.S. Army Reservist, moved to Abilene TX and worked at her first full-time tv reporter job at KRBC TV. She was followed to Texas by a 34 year old former Army Ranger who she had recently met at Army Reserve training in Helena, Montana. Jennifer Servo (she’d used “Servo” the last year of her life) had been in Abilene less than 3 months when colleagues became concerned that she hadn’t returned phone calls. They asked her apartment manager to check on her. She was found dead, a homicide victim from head trauma and strangulation.

For more indepth information, please visit Justice for Jennifer. There you will find articles, news clips and contact information.

The Ole Girl decided it was time to go. She was older than the hills and quite tired, afterall. She died today at about one o’clock. She stretched her legs, took a final, deep breath, and then it was over. As I mentioned, she was very old and renal failure was inevitable, so Dan and I had begun to mentally prepare for her death a long while ago. But it sucks.

Today I learned that Mr. Wizard passed away on June 12, 2007 after a battle with bone cancer. Mr. Wizard — you made a science geek out of me.

From his website:

It is with deep sadness that we regret to announce the passing of Don Herbert - the one and only “Mr. Wizard”. Don lost his battle with cancer today, June 12, 2007, at 9 AM Pacific Daylight Time - slightly more than one month shy of his 90th birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family, who are at once, saddened by his passing, and relieved that he is no longer suffering.

Last year it was an alligator, this year it’s a dead body.