~Winner of GenEdNet’s 2008 DNA Day Essay Contest~
The greatest dream of Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist and sufferer of the genetic disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is to go into space. While through his theories he has metaphorically done just that, in his paralyzed state he may never physically be able to go into space. (9) Usually fatal, ALS is a genetic disorder caused by the deterioration of motor neurons, nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. Hope exists for the future: the discovery of a new gene that causes some forms of ALS will enable the development of new model systems to understand the disease and open the way for development of new treatments. (10) Read More