Staring at the mercury readings from those Alaskan wolves, I did what every researcher does when data doesn't make sense: I blamed the machine. 'The instrument's broken,' I told myself. Easier than admitting I was looking at poison levels that shouldn't exist. The wolves had switched from deer to sea otters after swimming to an island. Simple dietary shift. Except the otters were loaded with mercury from contaminated shellfish. The readings were off the charts—polar bear levels in a wolf. I've spent three years studying environmental toxins. I know the numbers. But when you see mercury levels 450% above natural background, when you realize we did this to them, the data becomes personal. Every sample feels like evidence of something we broke. My advisor called it 'significant findings.' I call it staying awake wondering what else we're missing. #Science #EcoGrief #LabAnxiety