Oldest 'fish-lizard' fossils ever found suggests these sea monsters survived the 'Great Dying'

7,000-year-old cult site in Saudi Arabia was filled with human remains and animal bones | Which animals have the strongest bite? | Raccoon dog DNA from Wuhan market supports the idea that COVID came from animals Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 20, 2023 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [Oldest 'fish-lizard' fossils ever found suggests these sea monsters survived the 'Great Dying']( [Oldest 'fish-lizard' fossils ever found suggests these sea monsters survived the 'Great Dying']( (Esther van Hulsen/Uppsala University) Ancient "fish-lizards" were swimming around in Earth's oceans 250 million years ago, long before scientists thought they first emerged, a new study finds. Researchers discovered the fossilized remains of an ichthyosaur on Spitsbergen, a remote Arctic island in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway in 2014. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/17) [] History & Archaeology [] [7,000-year-old cult site in Saudi Arabia was filled with human remains and animal bones]( [7,000-year-old cult site in Saudi Arabia was filled with human remains and animal bones]( (Photograph © AAKSA and Royal Commission for AlUla, courtesy Antiquity) Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have discovered ancient human remains buried near hundreds of scattered animal bones inside a 7,000-year-old desert monument, a ritual site used by a prehistoric cult. The remains, those of an adult male approximately in his 30s, were found inside a mustatil, a structure that takes its name from the Arabic word for rectangle. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/17) [] Life’s Little Mysteries [] [Which animals have the strongest bite?]( [Which animals have the strongest bite?]( (DianaLynne via Getty Images) Tyrannosaurus rex and megalodon are repeat science fiction stars for a reason: Their bites were ferocious. But which extinct and living creatures actually exert the strongest bite force? Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/19) [] Your Health [] [Raccoon dog DNA from Wuhan market supports the idea that COVID came from animals]( [Raccoon dog DNA from Wuhan market supports the idea that COVID came from animals]( (Edwin_Butter via Getty Images) Scientists found the strongest evidence yet that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 leapt from animals to humans at a market in China, fueling the first reported outbreak of COVID-19. The genetic data was uploaded to a public database and then promptly removed at the request of the Chinese team that first shared it. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/17) [] Curious Creatures [] [A creepy crocodile and glacial 'guts' among stunning winners from nature photography competition]( [A creepy crocodile and glacial 'guts' among stunning winners from nature photography competition]( (Jens Cullmann) A creepy portrait of a crocodile keeping a watchful, yellow eye from a mud pool is the grand prize winner of the 2022 World Nature Photography Awards (WNPA), which honored the most evocative shots from thousands of entries in a variety of categories. The photo was taken in Zimbabwe by Jens Cullmann of Germany, who won the award for World Nature Photographer of the Year and scooped top prize for Animal portraits. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/17) [] [Heartbreaking footage shows whale with severely broken back struggling to swim]( [Heartbreaking footage shows whale with severely broken back struggling to swim]( (Oceanographic Valencia) A fin whale with a severely deformed spine was recently filmed struggling to swim off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This extreme case of scoliosis was likely caused by a vessel strike and will probably cause the gentle giant to slowly starve, experts say. Full Story: [Live Science]( (3/17) [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: Which living animal has most powerful bite force for its body size? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [Saltwater crocodile]( [Vote]( [Orca]( [Vote]( [Great white shark]( [Vote]( [Galapagos large ground finch](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036