When the molecular simulation is first started, the laboratory clock shows the current time of day in a 24-hour format. Many of the experiments in the laboratory are very time consuming and it is not necessarily realistic to wait in real time for these experiments to finish. For example, a PCR experiment can take over 3 hours and a sequencer run can take anywhere from 3 to 15 hours. Consequently, the laboratory clock can also be used to advance the laboratory time to accelerate these experiments. Time is advanced by clicking on any of the arrows above each digit on the clock.