We Found Plastics Everywhere. I Still Care

I spent months dissecting sea cucumbers and fiddler crabs, pulling out organs I used to only see in textbooks. I thought the data would shock me—1,266 pieces of plastic, everywhere I looked. Gills, guts, even the fluids that keep them alive. But what really got me was how routine it felt. Just another tally in a spreadsheet, another late night rinsing glassware, another moment I wondered if anyone would care as much as I do. Sometimes I think the microplastics are easier to track than the reasons I keep going. My PI called it a breakthrough. I just felt tired. We keep finding plastics in new places, and I keep finding new ways to feel small. #ScienceFatigue #LabBurnout #EcoAnxiety #Science