New from STAT: A story about a decades-long hunt in Appalachia to understand the genetic roots of ALS, a devastating neuromuscular disease that causes progressive paralysis. One corner of the region runs thicker with a particular form of inherited ALS than almost anywhere else, and neurologist Edward Kasarskis and genealogist Debby Taylor have traced those cases for years to create The Scroll, a sweeping family tree with roughly 6,700 names.
Read more: An Appalachian odyssey: Hunting for ALS genes along a sprawling family tree