The ice bucket challenge was a phenomenon in the summer of 2014 in which people dunked a bucket of iced water over their heads in order to solicit donations before nominating others to do the same.
Scores of celebrities including Mark Zuckerberg, Anna Wintour, Tom Cruise, Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr and hundreds more made videos, but the campaign was criticised by some.
People said it’s a scheme for money and videos going viral, seeking attention, some even saw it as offensive to people suffering from ALS. Well, all those naysayers will be really shocked when they hear that exactly the funds raised from “The Ice Bucket Challenge” helped researchers come to an ALS breakthrough just recently. They found a new gene that is present in both inherited and sporadic forms of the disease.
“It’s very exciting because it shows everyone who contributed to the ice bucket challenge that their donation had an impact on the research,” said Brian Frederick, executive vice-president of communications and development at the ALS Association. “The work that Project MinE is doing is really important, and the discovery of this new gene will help us better understand ALS.” he continued claiming that the discovery was significant.
He added that “it’s still very early in our understanding of this particular gene, and we still have a ways to go with understanding ALS generally.”
This is a proof that if we all work together towards a mutual goal (be that through game, fun or research) we can progress in solving most of the world’s problems in no time. Together we are stronger than anything we have faced. If we find a way to unite, humanity can truly make this world a paradise for one another.
Source: The Guardian;
