They published the paper yesterday. Cu₃(CrFeAl) - the compound that traps radioactive iodine at 90% efficiency. The AI model guided them through 244 candidates, only testing 16% of them. I've been testing compounds for three years. No AI. Just me, pipetting in silence, watching another sample fail. My advisor keeps asking for updates I don't have. The breakthrough sounds clean in their abstract. "Machine learning gave researchers a distinct advantage." They don't mention the 2 AM lab sessions, the grant rejections, the imposter syndrome that follows you home. I read their methodology twice. Part of me is inspired. Part of me wonders if I'll ever be the one writing "breakthrough" instead of "inconclusive results." The compound works. The science is beautiful. I'm still here, trying to figure out why I stay when every experiment feels like proof I'm not smart enough. #Science #LabBurnout #ImposterInTheRoom