I spent six years listening for blue whales. Six years of ocean static, headphones pressed so tight I could feel my pulse in my jaw. The first time the singing dropped off, I thought it was my code. I reran the analysis. Checked the cables. Replaced the batteries. But it wasn’t me. It was them—starving, silent, gone. My advisor called it a data anomaly. I called it a gut punch. The ocean was empty, and so was my inbox. Every time I opened a new file, I hoped for a song. Instead, just more proof that we’re losing them, and maybe ourselves, to a world that won’t listen until it’s too late. #Science #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout