It seems that just about everybody participated in last summer’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Everyone’s boyfriend Tom Hiddleston did it.
Agent Melinda May and Hydra Jerk Grant Ward (Ming-Na Wen and Brett Dalton) did it.
Anthony Head did it while still looking completely classy.
Even Kim Kardashian joined in.
The challenge involved dumping a bucket of ice water over a person’s head while filming. The individual would then nominate three other people, giving them 24 hours to participate.
In just two months, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $115 million across the United States for the national chapter of the ALS Association. Another $13 million was donated to regional ALS branches. For comparison, ALS Association raised a total of less than $25 million in 2013. John Hopkins professor Philip Wong said that “the money came at a critical time when we needed it”. He and his colleagues put the money to good use – by making a scientific breakthrough.
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare and fatal condition that affects the nervous system. Scientists are uncertain regarding its cause, but have found a link between 90% of ALS cases and a dysfunctional protein called TDP-43. Thanks to the research funded by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, researchers have been able to identify and repair the protein, healing the damaged cell. Lead researcher Jonathan Ling said that “all of your donations have been amazingly helpful”, adding that he and his team are “working tirelessly to find a cure”. He hopes that the breakthrough could lead to a cure, or at least a way to slow down the disease.
Watch Ling and Wong explain this amazing breakthrough in the video below.
