The Theory of Everything

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For this neuro note I chose to watch the movie, “The Theory of Everything.” This movie depicts the famous theoretical physicist Steven Hawking and how he fell in love with his future wife Jane, while being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The actor Eddie Redmayne portrays the bright mind of Hawking and actress Felicity Jones portrays Jane Hawking his wife. As a young child, I always wondered how the famous physicist became wheelchair bound and why he had to have his voice projected from a computer. During this movie, I now know just how bad ALS can progress and affect the human body. This fatal disease damages the motor neurons that extend from the brain and spinal cord, which then cause the motor neurons to eventually die. This affects one’s ability to control voluntary muscles that include walking, talking, eating, and every other daily activity one may perform. After I finished this movie, I wanted to do more research on this strange disease. I found that it is estimated that ALS is inherited in 5-10 percent of people, but for the rest of the people diagnosed, the cause is unknown. The peculiarity of this degenerative disease is that in some cases it can cause a certain form of dementia, however for most cases it does not affect the brain or the thoughts of an individual. This was the case for Hawking and why he could still generate all of these ideas to try and explain his "theory of everything.” The estimated life expectancy of someone diagnosed is about 2-5 years, but Hawking lived another 55 years when he finally lost his battle with ALS. He lived a long life with this disability and helped us understand a little bit more about the “everything” in our lives. 

 

 

References:

Bevan, T., Fellner, E., Bruce, L., & McCarten, A. (Producers), & Marsh, J. (Director). (2014). The Theory of Everything. [Motion Picture]. United States: Universal Studios. 

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