Had lunch today with three women who I admire, love, and think the world of. My boss, my best friend, and the girl who was there for me when I was starting out on this journey called medical research.
This last friend became a source of happiness, stress relief, random singing and dancing in the corridors, and stupid lab poems about experiments not working. Now she lives overseas. She has no idea how much she is missed and how different work is without her. 
On November 20 there was a new arrival at Topeka Zoo in Kansas, USA. A little baby for sloths Jackie and Mocha! See more pics here.
Did you know:
A Hoffmann Sloth like this one (Choloepus hoffmanni) has a gestational period of 11.5 months. This is relatively long compared to other sloth species: the pale-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) has a gestational period of 4.5 months and the pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) is 6 months. On average, all sloth species give birth to one baby every year.
Words can’t describe how special this experience was. To touch, feed, talk to and be so close to these beautiful animals was simply breath-taking. I feel like a life goal has been fulfilled and can’t wait for the next time I can meet a sloth.
What made it even more special was a) I just met the oldest sloth in captivity IN THE WORLD, Miss C and b) I didn’t know the zoo actually had TWO sloths- I went in expecting one, and got to meet TWO, Miss C (40 years old) and Algae (23), both Hoffman’s two-toed sloths.
I will never forget this. 
