First nonrepeating biological clock discovered in C. elegans guides growth

Imagine a train parked at the station. Passengers climb aboard and find their seats. Conductors move up and down the aisles, checking tickets. But there's a problem—the engineer's watch is broken. As a result, the doors never close, the whistle never sounds, and the train never starts. Something similar occurs in cells when developmental timing is disrupted. Rather than making people late for work, it can mean the difference between maturing into a healthy adult and never growing up at all.