Europa's Chaos, My Quiet Collapse

I spent months chasing Europa’s secrets—hoping the data would finally say something back. JWST’s spectra lit up my screen, but all I saw was another layer of ice, another reason to stay late, another excuse for why I haven’t called home in weeks. Everyone talks about the ocean beneath the shell, the possibility of life. I just see fractured terrain, chaos mapped in pixels, and a PI who calls at midnight to ask if I’ve checked the new NIRSpec files. I tell myself the chemistry is exciting, but I’m tired of pretending every strange signal is a breakthrough. Sometimes it’s just noise, and sometimes I am too. We keep looking for windows into Europa’s interior. I keep waiting for a window out. #Science #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout