Can people actually sleep with their eyes open?

What causes red dyes to run in the wash?

Why do headphone wires get twisted inside jacket pockets?

Don't bother asking your friends for the answers. Ask the Squirrels. 

The Science Squirrels Club is a Chinese Internet community founded by a group of science enthusiasts. Over the past three years the club has attracted heaps of young people across China, triggering a kind of scientific renaissance in China. The Squirrels, with their stylish take on science, are watching their slogan of "Making Science Popular" come true.

Cracked nuts

The Science Squirrels Club gets its name from a metaphor. Science, explain club members, is like a nut: nutritious inside but surrounded by a shell that is hard to crack. And like actual squirrels, the Squirrels are cracking hard scientific nuts left, right and center.

Originally a science writing blog, the club was named one of the "Best Global Chinese Blogs" in 2008. The award described them as writing on "everything from roses to spaceships, covering almost all themes in science." The win was an affirmation of their methods: topics are kept interesting but also academically correct. Since then, the blog has expanded into a full-blown community. No other scientific group in China has yet to garner this amount of attention from a generation raised on fast food and pop music.

"Fun" is what explains the Squirrels' success. Ideas discussed on the site range from the universal to the trivial, sometimes odd, but always eye-catching. They focus on relating science to daily life, like how to date with the help of statistics. Popular phrases replace confusing jargon to explain once-inscrutable scientific theory.

Still, science remains a serious endeavor. In their essays, the Squirrels talk about life, love and politics, but always from a scientific perspective. Each piece goes through a process of scrutiny, critique and revision before it is published online.

"Precision is always at the top of our list," says You You, the club's chief editor. "We add references at the end of essays. Normally, references only appear in research papers, but we insist on doing it."

The Squirrels also move beyond the virtual world, into the real world. They offer activity packages like film parties where people gather to watch a scientific documentary, followed by a group discussion. Questions are answered and knowledge shared – and above all enjoyed. Other packages involve laboratory experiments and visits to science centers. The activities attract thousands; applicant numbers are usually several times the maximum what the group can accommodate.

Recently, the club launched a science reporting training program. The training courses are for science journalists, but teachers will also be invited to attend future program.

"We try to get wide coverage with our activities," says Tian Chen, a senior Squirrel responsible for club operations. "It's hard to make science popular, so we try to add some fad aspects. Meanwhile, we want to integrate science into media and education in order to get more people involved."