We are excited about this discovery because it provides a genetic test that will lead to improved patient diagnoses, and gives us new insight into the causes of ataxia and other neurodegenerative diseases, an important step towards developing an effective treatment.

President Lincoln was a truly great, great leader. It would do a lot to decrease the stigma of a disability, and to highlight the abilities of people who have ataxia, if he could be that great and have this.

Finding the SCA5 mutation in Lincoln's family makes it possible to test Lincoln's DNA -- if it becomes available -- to unequivocally determine if he carried the mutation and had or would have developed the disease.

We knew just from the way it was behaving and the way it was transmitted in the family that it must be a single gene.

We see the Silk Road as a symbol of cultural discovery and exchange, and the project uses artistic expression to nurture creativity similar to what was found on the road in ancient times. We're trying to serve as a common resource for musicians drawing on both ancient and current civilizations along the road.

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are