I Gave Mosquitoes Drugs. I Lost Sleep, Too.

Nobody tells you how quiet the lab gets at 2 a.m. when you’re dosing mosquitoes with drugs, not insecticides—because the old tricks don’t work anymore. The grant said it was innovative. My PI called it bold. But the first time I watched a mosquito twitch and not die, just carry the parasite like nothing happened, I felt stupid for hoping. We’re supposed to save lives. But I keep thinking about the hours lost, the nights I didn’t go home, the way my hands shake when I try to explain why this matters. I’m not sure what’s worse: the rising malaria rates, or the feeling that no one will remember who tried to stop them. I wish I could say the data was enough. I wish I could say I was, too. #Science #LabBurnout #ScienceFatigue