Ice bucket challenge helps generate scientific breakthrough

Social media has the power to bring about change, and in one case, even a scientific breakthrough.

The ice bucket challenge, which caught fire on social media two years ago and raised a reported $100 million for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has now helped the UMASS Medical School discover a gene responsible for the disease.

Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player, started the trend shortly after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. Frates had his number retired by the Eagles this season.

The discovery will hopefully open the door to better treatments for the disease. 6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year.