A rare species of shark has been rediscovered in Papua New Guinea, nearly half a century after its last sighting.
The Sailback Hound Shark, known for its unusually large dorsal fin (Gogolia filewoodi), was first recorded by researchers in 1973. A pregnant female was captured in Astrolabe Bay, near the Gogol River, and this marked the only known instance of the species for many years.
Jack Sagumai and his team from the World Wildlife Fund Pacific gathered fisheries data from local communities, aimed at supporting the national action plan for sharks and rays. In March 2020, they were pleasantly surprised when they stumbled upon images of several small sharks close to the mouth of the Gogol River, all featuring the characteristic dorsal fin.
Initially, five of these sharks were identified as female. In 2022, another fisherman in the vicinity caught a male. Collaborating with William White from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia, the team verified that these creatures were indeed the long-lost sailback houndsharks.
“When we heard that this species was so elusive, it was frustrating,” Sagmai said.
This marks the first scientific documentation of the species in over 50 years, though fishermen in Astrolabe Bay claim they regularly encounter these sharks. They report sightings near the mouth of the Gogol River while fishing primarily for drums, according to Sagmai.
“It appears to favor deeper waters and tends to associate with other fish when feeding near the river mouth,” he noted.
As these sharks are only located in a small area, they may represent a “micro-inhabiting” species with a very limited range in Astrolabe Bay.
“Alternatively, they may have once had a broader distribution across regions like Indonesia and Papua New Guinea,” suggested David Ebert from San Jose State University in California. This region also hosts similar micro-inhabiting species, such as bamboo and epaulette sharks.
Sagumai noted that information regarding the Sailback Hound Shark’s biology and population size remains sparse. Currently, two deceased specimens are housed at the University of Papua New Guinea, and the team plans to collaborate with researchers in Australia and Florida to conduct a DNA analysis of the sharks.
“These efforts will establish genetic baselines for future monitoring and inform conservation strategies,” he added.
wRecently, many people compared their Spotify listening stats for artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Fontaines DC during December’s wrap-up. It may sound odd in today’s digital era, but I decided to stop streaming music entirely. Instead, I returned to buying CDs, which reignited my passion for music.
Now, I find myself immersed in music around the clock. I can’t focus on work without it, nor can I wash the dishes without some tunes in the background. I usually purchase albums in CD or vinyl format and play them repeatedly until I grow tired of them—an admittedly annoying habit. Back when I was a student, one brave housemate would blast music throughout the apartment, flooding my room with city hymns while he drained CDs and even leaped out the window.
The arrival of Napster, file sharing, and eventually Spotify felt like a stroke of luck to me. I quickly ditched my expensive CD collection for a digital platform that could play any song available. I began exploring new albums from familiar artists as well as those in the vast universe of music. However, laziness soon set in. As Spotify got to know my taste, its recommendations became increasingly obscure. Before I realized what was happening, Spotify was suggesting songs from the latest Gorillaz album or outlandish jazz-folk tracks I didn’t ask for, yet I was always too bored to skip them. Listening felt akin to conversing with a music snob who thought they knew better than I did.
Recaptures his youth… Perry is rich at home. Photo: Martin Godwin/Guardian
Recently, with the rising costs of Spotify subscriptions, I decided to cancel and go back to purchasing CDs. Now, I read reviews in NME and The Guardian, using Shazam to identify songs I enjoy, such as those from the T2 Trainspotting soundtrack and tracks by Wolf Alice. Rather than random Spotify suggestions, I’m rediscovering my music taste freely. Sure, this route might keep Jeff Bezos smiling, but nothing compares to the joy of holding tangible music in my hands. Appreciating the album art and examining the inner sleeves make every penny spent worthwhile.
Plus, I no longer share a space with noisy college roommates, allowing me to listen to my favorite albums on repeat. My current favorites include Drives to the Golden Hammer due to divorce, among others. As I prepare for their live performances, I’m also delighting in a nostalgic return to Oasis. I couldn’t be happier, even if my shelves are nearing their weight limit with the growing CD collection.
IIt’s one of the biggest injustices in video game history that the Sega Saturn is widely considered to be a failure. The console was released in Japan on November 22, 1994, almost two weeks earlier than the PlayStation, but has always been compared disparagingly to its rival. We hear that while Sony built high-end machine lasers intended to produce high-speed 3D graphics, Sega engineers had to add extra graphics chips to the Saturn at the last minute. I read that Sony’s Ken Kutaragi has provided creators with an even easier to use development system. We know that Sony used its power as a consumer electronics giant to take a financial hit and drive down the prices of Sega’s machines. That’s all true, but what’s always left unmentioned is the huge success of Japan’s Saturn launch and the extraordinary legacy left by Sega’s 32-bit machines.
What I remember is this. The Edge magazine reported from Akihabara, Tokyo, that its Japanese correspondent joined a line outside a major Laox computer game center to pick up one of the thousands of machines that fans had not yet reserved. I was trying to get it. Two and a half hours later, the author showed up with my purchase. Among them was a copy of Virtua Fighter, the best arcade fighting game of the year. It was a lucky purchase. Shelves around town were quickly emptying. Sega shipped an unprecedented 200,000 units that day.
The Saturn brought the feel of arcade titles like Daytona USA into your home. Photo: Justin Layton/Alamy
The following September, I joined Edge as a writer and stayed there for two years, coinciding with the creative peak of Saturn’s short life. What was clear to me at the time, and what still rings true today, is that Sega’s first-party output on this machine was one of the best of the decade. Arcade megahits “Sega Rally” and “Daytona USA” set the challenge for a new era of stylish 3D racers, while “Virtua Fighter 2,” “Fighting Vipers,” and “The Last Bronx” challenge the 1-on-1 brings complexity and depth to fighting games. Sega’s platform-exclusive titles were similarly vibrant and groundbreaking. Panzer Dragoon, Night Into Dreams, and Burning Ranger reinvented stalwart genres for a new generation with imaginative and rich visuals. But I also loved wacky experiments. There’s the toy-like platformer Clockwork Knight, the weird and frenetic puzzler Bakubaku Animal, and the self-consciously stupid Virtua Fighter Kids.
It’s often said that what Saturn lacked was support from third-party developers, but that wasn’t the case in Japan. Veteran shooter creator Treasure developed two of their best titles for this machine, Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes. If you still want to play classic 2D shooter games, the Saturn is the way to go. Batsugan, Battle Garegga, and Darius Gaiden are all considered staples of the genre.
X-Men vs Street Fighter: Sega Saturn was the beginning of Capcom and Marvel’s relationship. Photo: ArcadeImages/Alamy
Atlus adapted the arcade hit Donpachi and created the underrated role-playing adventures Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner and Princess Crown. For horror fans, there’s Warp’s survival thriller Enemy Zero, and Capcom created a Saturn port of Resident Evil that included exclusive mini-games and new enemies and costumes. Capcom also produced many of the best fighting games of the time, including X-Men: Children of the Atom (originally a home exclusive), X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and Darkstalkers 3. I put it into Saturn.
Sega also had decent developer support in Europe, with programmers who grew up on home computers having experience programming in the assembly language supported by the Saturn (the PlayStation had a much rarer development environment based on C). Core Design originally targeted Tomb Raider for machines (and also made the unfairly forgotten action-adventure Swagman for consoles). WipeOut brought Psygnosis. Gremlins loaded top-down brawler for both consoles. And Knutsford-based Traveler’s Tales, who would go on to create the Lego series, co-created the underrated racer Sonic R with Sonic Team. This was a great technology showcase for Saturn, with smooth frame rates and gorgeous transparency effects.
The Saturn was innovative in other ways as well. Saturn Bomberman remains arguably the best title in Hudson’s explosive series, especially considering its support for chaotic 10-player matches with two multi-taps. The Saturn was the first major console to offer online gaming via a Net Link modem, and in 1997 it allowed players to participate in direct sessions of Sega Rally Championship and Virtual-On over the Internet. A party title that supported this technology was Shadows of the Tusk, a deck-building strategy role-playing game (years before the genre became mainstream) that came with its own physical card pack. Additionally, Sega’s 3D Control Pad, an analog controller designed specifically for Nights Into Dreams, outperformed the Nintendo 64’s pad by several weeks by market launch.
There was a period, perhaps for a year or two, when Saturn’s disappearance was inevitable. It held its own and rivaled everything that Sony and its lead development partner Namco could offer. Daytona vs. Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter vs. Tekken, Virtua Cop vs. Time Crisis. And this rivalry has been an absolute boon for gamers, driving 3D game design and creating the technical expertise needed for the next generation of open-world 3D console titles. There’s a reason why refurbished and modified Saturns are still being sold on eBay and retro gaming sites 30 years after its release. They are often region-free and come with a switch to toggle between European 50Hz or NTSC 60Hz TV options. And that’s because the games I’ve mentioned here are still worth playing in their original form, their original home. Although the Saturn never really caught on as a mass market device, it was successful in many ways. When we think about the history of video games, we need to talk more about it.
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