The Discovery Was Huge. I Felt Small.

It’s supposed to be thrilling—finding a lost world under Antarctica, a landscape untouched for 34 million years. But when the paper came out, all I felt was empty. We mapped ancient valleys, saw rivers that haven’t flowed since before humans existed. The press called it a time capsule. My inbox filled with congratulations. But I was still here, staring at ice-penetrating radar scans at 2 a.m., wondering if I’d ever feel like I belonged in this field. The data was perfect. I wasn’t. I kept thinking about all the things we still don’t know, all the secrets locked away, and how I’m supposed to care enough to keep digging when I can barely get out of bed. Sometimes I wish I could freeze myself in place, like that landscape—untouched, unjudged, just waiting for someone else to find me. #ScienceFatigue #ImposterInTheRoom #LabBurnout #Science