FATAWESOME

With the recent warm weather, many New England residents have jump-started their spring-cleaning. Terrance Wilson, of North Billerica, Massachusetts, was one of many to crack open their attic for the first time since the holiday season. It was Saturday afternoon when Wilson made a discovery that shocked him and paleontologists around the globe.

“Since my father passed away, all of his belongings have stayed in boxes in our attic. I never really brought myself to go through them until we ran out of room to keep our beenie baby collection. My father always told me that several of the boxes held priceless family heirlooms. He always said our family had been very nostalgic, handing down items from generation to generation. I knew we had some Civil War artifacts and a few carving tools from ancient Mesopotamia, but the dinosaur bone was an unsuspected treat.”

The bone was sent to the Paleontologist Research and Preservation Center in Del Perto, Utah, where carbon dating proved its authenticity. Further investigation confirmed that the bone belonged to a previously undiscovered species. The dinosaur was a 15-meter-long omnivore, a second cousin of the carnivore, Rajasaurus narmadensis, discovered in Madagascar in 2006. Taimur Malik, director at the center, speculated that the dinosaur stood about 6 meters tall and had exceptionally large mammary glands. The center also gave Terrance Wilson the privilege of naming the newly discovered species.

“When I first pulled the bone out of that box I knew it belonged to a dinosaur. It just felt prehistoric; although, I didn’t expect it to belong to an unheard of species. When they told me that I had the honor of naming it, I instantly imagined how cool it would be for my daughter to tell her first grade class that her dad has a dinosaur named after him. Then I finally decided it would be cooler if I let her name it.”

The bone can be seen until the end of the month at Boston’s Museum of Science. The exhibit will be doing a tour of the country before being shipped to Europe, where the Spongebobosaurus will find its home at the Natural History Museum in London, England.

With the economy steadily declining, American consumers are looking for better deals and more for their dollar. In response, manufacturers are now producing items with increasing utility that are multi-purpose. Products like Old Spice High Endurance hair & bodywash, Crest plus Scope toothpaste, and Schick Quattro Titanium Trimmer razor are just a few.

Following suit, Valvoline announced on Monday that it will come out with a groundbreaking new motor oil + personal lubricant called Motorjerk. Valvoline spokespeople stated that the dual action formula will satisfy the need for a more versatile lubricant, giving consumers more bang for their buck. With their new product, Valvoline promises reduced friction, improved viscosity, reduced wear at high temperatures, prevention of clogs and decreased sludge buildup; while also protecting car engines as a motor oil. While this is a bold move by Valvoline, multi-purpose products such as Motorjerk are becoming more common in America because of increased demand for cheaper commodities.