I used to think creating life would feel like a triumph. That first time the synthetic cell flickered under the microscope, I expected awe. Instead, I felt nothing. Just the hum of the incubator and the ache in my back from another night on the floor. Every protocol I wrote was supposed to bring me closer to something—discovery, meaning, maybe even pride. But the more I assembled genomes, the more I unraveled. My friends outside the lab think I’m playing God. They don’t see the pile of failed constructs, the grant rejections, the way my advisor’s praise always sounds like a warning. I keep asking if any of this matters. I keep building anyway. Maybe that’s the scariest part. #Science #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout