Clockless yeast and the gears of the clock: how do they mesh?

In spite of its apparent weakness as a clock model, the budding yeast has spawned a technique that has revolutionized our ability to study specific protein-protein interactions like those at the core of the molecular timekeeping mechanisms. Here, the author will summarize the evolution, power, and limitations of this technique and highlight its potential and actual contributions to the field of chronobiology.