Scientists are sometimes asked why they study a particular problem or area. One reason they often give is that the subject is ‘interesting’. This by itself is offered as justification for the time and effort involved. But to this justification is usually added that sometimes a subject area, studied initially only because it is ‘interesting’, ends up providing far more important and significant information and knowledge than first thought. Scientific history is littered with examples of these unexpected, chance new discoveries.
This article describes just such a chance avenue of research — the study of the cell cycle in a yeast species first found in an East African beer. The research allowed us to identify proteins central to cell cycle control. Amazingly, these same proteins were then found in all eukaryotic cells, and in many cases have been shown to be involved in human disease.
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