Ice Bucket Challenge Helped Fund Important Discovery of ALS-Related Gene

Remember that awesome ice bucket challenge from two years ago, which included tons of your favorite celebrities? Well the charitable cause to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, has made an incredible breakthrough.

The ALS Association announced that the donations from the challenge helped scientists discover an ALS-related gene (NEK1) that will assist in therapy development. In other words, we're another step closer in figuring out how to cure the disease. The fund, which was pushed by social media, raised $115 million in eight weeks. One million went to Project MinE, a University of Massachusetts Medical School endeavor, which found the gene.