The Dorsal Fin

If you’re a shark fan or nature enthusiast, you’re probably no stranger to BBC’s Planet Earth series. The high-speed camera footage of a white shark seen in the clip above has become one of the hallmark scenes from the series. Starting today (October 4, 2011) two new editions of the series are available on Blu-ray and DVD.

From BBC:

This fall, experience the ultimate portrait of our world like never before as BBC Earth releases Planet Earth Special Edition and Planet Earth Limited Collector’s Edition to Blu-ray and DVD October 4.

Planet Earth Limited Collector's Edition (TM & © BBC)

Planet Earth: Special Edition will feature improved picture quality which takes advantage of advances in high-definition technology since the original release. Additionally, over 3 hours of new bonus materials including video diaries, a new Greatest Planet Earth Moments feature, and the bonus series Planet Earth: The Future. The Limited Collector’s Edition features a numbered collectible globe case and an exclusive set of 4 art cards in addition to the 6-disc Special Edition items.

BBC News reports that squalamine, a chemical found in the Squalidae family (dogfish) of sharks, has been found to be a “good antiviral candidate” due to its documented ability to kill a wide range of human and animal viruses. While more research needs to be done to investigate the potential use of the chemical as a means of treatment for human diseases, squalamine can be easily reproduced synthetically and has shown no signs of major adverse side effects when given to patients in clinical trials to stop the growth of cancer cells, according to the BBC report.

You can check out the entire story over at the BBC News site.

BBC – Earth News has posted a video of what is believed to be the first ever film footage of a living smalleye stingray (Dasyatis microps). According to the BBC report, the smalleye stingray is the largest known stingray and can reach widths of over 2m. The species has only been witnessed alive off the coast of Tofo, a beach located in southern Mozambique. The film was shot while filming a documentary about manta rays with Dr. Andrea Marshal of of the Manta Ray and Whale Shark Research Centre. The footage will air on BBC Two this Wednesday as part of the BBC series Natural World.