I Watched a Worm Succeed Where I Couldn't

I’m supposed to be impressed by the velvet worm’s superpower—shooting slime that hardens, then melts, then hardens again. Nature’s little underdog, out here winning with weirdness. But all I could think about was the last time I tried to explain my own research and got blank stares. The worm gets a documentary. I get another round of reviewer 2’s comments. The worm’s slime is a miracle; my failed gels are just a mess. I keep hoping for a breakthrough, but mostly I’m just stuck, re-running protocols, watching something else get celebrated for being strange while I try to make my own strangeness fit. Maybe I’m not the underdog. Maybe I’m just tired of pretending I’m not weird, too. #ScienceFatigue #UnderdogEnergy #LabBurnout #Science