Ancient DNA Decoded. I'm Not

They're calling it historic. First complete ancient Egyptian genome. 5,000 years of mystery unlocked. I should feel something. Six years of failed extractions. Ceramic pot burials. DNA that crumbled in my hands. My PI said the conditions were impossible. I kept trying anyway. The Nature paper went live this morning. My name, second author. Twitter exploded. "Groundbreaking." "Revolutionary." The university PR team scheduled interviews. I stared at the data for twenty minutes. Clean reads. Perfect coverage. Everything we hoped for. Then I walked to the bathroom and cried. Not from joy. From exhaustion. From the crushing weight of proving something that cost everything to find. This ancient Egyptian lived 44-64 years. I'm 28 and feel older. The genome shows migration patterns. I show up, extract DNA, publish papers. But I can't decode why I'm still here. 🧪 #Science #LabBurnout #ImposterInTheRoom