Caroline Steel
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carolinesteel.bsky.social
Caroline Steel
@carolinesteel.bsky.social
Freelance Science Broadcaster🎙️| Presenter of CrowdScience on The BBC World Service | Views are my own (unless determinism has other ideas)

Links to website and other socials ⬇️

https://linktr.ee/carolinesteel
Moss can survive 9 months in space!

Plus, scientists have worked out why coffee that’s passed through the gut of a civet, tastes so good ☕️

Today I was on Inside Science with @whippletom.bsky.social & @kityates.bsky.social, chatting about my fave science news.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations?
As COP 30 draws to close in Brazil, we speak to a former negotiator.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Do Aliens exist? 👽

We might be one step closer to finding the answer following the discovery of a possible nitrogen atmosphere around an Earth-sized planet called Trappist-1e. 🪐

I had a great time talking about the news on What in the World.

youtu.be/P5VEx0OU76E?...
Are we now closer to finding life on another planet? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service
YouTube video by BBC World Service
youtu.be
November 15, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Did you know that the brain can be active for 20 minutes AFTER you die?

Our latest CrowdScience explored the question: are near death experiences real?

I spoke to the experts, including Jimo Borjigin who’s studied the brains of four people before & after death.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
CrowdScience - Are near-death experiences real? - BBC Sounds
Are near-death experiences visions of an afterlife?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
As a physics nerd I got to go on my dream work trip, to CERN! 🇨🇭 🇫🇷

It was for a CrowdScience where we tried to answer the question: are atoms immortal?

If you’re interested in atom immortality (or mortality), would love to hear what you think…

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
www.bbc.co.uk
October 28, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Last week, I was on Radio 4’s Inside Science with @amsterdammed.bsky.social, chatting about my favourite science news:

💦 Where the water at Mars’ equator comes from
🐁 Can we give lab mice periods?
🦇 An accidental recording of the sound of a bat catching a robin

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
BBC Inside Science - Have scientists created a bionic eye? - BBC Sounds
The bionic microchip implant which allows registered blind people to see again.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 26, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Why are some animals black and white?

Why do zebras have stripes that seem to make them stand out to predators🦓?

Why do pandas have cute black eyes 🐼?

And why do penguins have white bellies 🐧?

We found the answers for a recent episode of CrowdScience.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Why are some animals black and white?
Why are zebras so stripy? Why do penguins wear tuxedos?
www.bbc.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I have a new favourite podcast series. So if you’re going to listen to one thing I’ve worked on - pick this!

Producer Florian and I have been looking for somewhere on Earth unaffected by humans. A place we haven’t changed, in any way.

Looking for No Man’s Land.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Looking for No Man's Land
A quest to find a place on Earth unaffected by humans... if it exists.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Right now, I’m on Radio 4’s Inside Science with @amsterdammed.bsky.social, chatting about my favourite science news:

🪐 potential signs exoplanet Trappist 1e could be habitable
🐨 a new vaccine for koala chlamydia

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Are embryos made from skin cells the future of fertility treatment?
Scientists have made early-stage human embryos using skin cell DNA fertilised with sperm
www.bbc.co.uk
October 2, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Last week, I joined @amsterdammed.bsky.social on Radio 4’s Inside Science to chat about my favourite science news:

🌋 How a volcanic eruption might have sparked the French Revolution
☀️ A new way to detect worrying solar storms
🐕 Dogs can thrive on a vegan diet

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
BBC Inside Science - What does caffeine do to our bodies? - BBC Sounds
The evidence on whether high caffeine energy drinks affect our health.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
This week, I received a letter from David Attenborough.

I’d written to ask if I could interview him for a new Radio 4 series I’m presenting. Sadly, it was a no, but he took the time to send me a handwritten response, at the age of 99!

What an incredible human being.
September 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
How long will traces of humanity last? Will future inteligent species dig up our bones, homes and plastic?

CrowdScience found the answers by talking to the experts and going fossil hunting.

@adamfrank4.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
CrowdScience - How long will traces of our civilisation last? - BBC Sounds
If intelligent life visits Earth millions of years from now, will they find traces of us?
www.bbc.co.uk
September 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
What does maths say about how to win Guess Who? 🤔👧👩

I’m Radio 4’s Inside Science now with @amsterdammed.bsky.social talking science news:
- Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, could be a dark matter detector 🌑
- birds are efficient communicators, like humans 🎶🐦

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Could solar panels in space be the energy source of the future?
The science of extraterrestrial solar panels and whether they can power our energy needs.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Writing texts using only thoughts 💭 drugs delivered via bubbles 🫧 and electronics you swallow to treat disease 💊

I chaired a discussion with for BBC World TV and The BBC World Service about the technology that is transforming healthcare.

youtu.be/QpBcAu7eFnU?...
Brain implants, drugs via blood-bubble, ingestible electronics - The Engineers, BBC World Service
YouTube video by BBC World Service
youtu.be
August 14, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Like me, do you struggle to fall asleep? 😴

I’ve been on a mission to find out why.

I visited a sleep lab (and didn’t fall asleep…) and grilled some of the world’s leading sleep experts.

I was on What in the World, sharing everything I’ve learnt.

youtu.be/wv01kkwGzb8?...
How to get your best night’s sleep - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service
YouTube video by BBC World Service
youtu.be
August 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
What really killed Napoleon’s soldiers?

I was on Radio 4’s Inside Science yesterday with @amsterdammed.bsky.social.
Our favourite news:
- what divorce looks like in birds
- can we redirect spacecraft to look at a mysterious object which has entered our solar system?
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
BBC Inside Science - What’s the evidence for vaccines? - BBC Sounds
Cuts of $500 million to vaccines research have been announced by the US government.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
There’s 1.4 billion trillion litres of water on Earth.

But at one point Earth is bone dry. So where did all the water come from?

@amsterdammed.bsky.social and I found out on last week’s CrowdScience.

I was genuinely shocked by the answer ☄️

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Where did Earth’s water come from?
Seventy percent of our planet is covered in water, but where did it all come from?
www.bbc.co.uk
July 24, 2025 at 1:12 PM
How will bubbles, brain implants and digestible electronics improve our future? 🫧 🧠 💊

I had a great time last night asking Tom Oxley, Khalil Ramadi and Eleanor Stride about their pioneering work.

Will share the final radio/TV show soon.
July 23, 2025 at 5:29 PM
On this week’s Unexpected Elements we talk all things dust:

🎷 what Norwegian jazz and cosmic dust have in common
🌵 how dust from the Sahara is supporting the Amazon
☄️ what cosmic rays and dust tell us about the ground beneath our feet

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Unexpected Elements - How dust affects the world - BBC Sounds
A new report on the dangers of dust sends us storming off into dust-related science.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
How can music help you wind down? 🎵 😮‍💨

I had a great time at Crossed Wires Festival with BBC Radio 3 Unwind and @niallbreslin.bsky.social.

Here are a few of my favourite tips:
1.) Listen to music from a time when you felt relaxed.
2.) Listen to music with a slower tempo.
3.) Play an instrument.
July 17, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I’m at Crossed Wires Festival this weekend with @niallbreslin.bsky.social and BBC Radio 3 Unwind!

I’ll be sharing some tips on how to use music to relax and taking a look at the science behind why it works.

Our event starts at 10:45am on Sunday, tickets here:
crossedwires.os.fan/unwind-your-...
Crossed Wires
Unwind your Mind with Niall Breslin
crossedwires.os.fan
July 4, 2025 at 5:06 PM
I’m on Radio 4’s Inside Science with @bbcvic.bsky.social now.

We’re coming to you from a very hot but fun Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, How do you turn facial expressions into music?
Hands on with the new research at this year’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
www.bbc.co.uk
July 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The mysterious hum on Lewis just keeps buzzing…

Last week Pick of the World with @annadoble.bsky.social featured our CrowdScience episode about this strange sound and the search to explain it.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Pick of the World - Your theories on a mysterious humming noise - BBC Sounds
The sound is heard by some residents of the Scottish island of Lewis - but what is it?
www.bbc.co.uk
June 27, 2025 at 11:21 AM
I’m on Radio 4’s Inside Science with @amsterdammed.bsky.social now, chatting about the latest science news:
- mice with 2 dads have had offspring of their own 🐁 🐁
- e-coli can turn plastic bottles into paracetamol
- garden snails are now venomous 🐌

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, What happens when you bomb a uranium enrichment site?
The science behind US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 26, 2025 at 3:47 PM
How do you get into science journalism?

This morning I was on a panel chatting about my career with @maevecullinan.bsky.social, @jasperjackson.bsky.social and @astrojonny.bsky.social.

Exciting to see so many future science journalists in the audience.

@absw.bsky.social
June 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Which is better at storing carbon, oceans or forests? 🌊 🌳

And how can we our homes and ships better for the environment?

@akshatrathi.bsky.social, Justin Rowlatt and I joined Graihagh Jackson on The Climate Question to answer your questions.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
The Climate Question - Your Questions Answered - BBC Sounds
Climate-friendly homes and ships, and which is the best natural way to store carbon?
www.bbc.co.uk
June 25, 2025 at 9:44 AM