As the ongoing crisis at Japan's quake-hit nuclear power plant stoked fears among Chinese that radioactive dust could be drifting their way, an online group of science enthusiasts geared up to quell the panic.

Five members of the Science Squirrels Club, known for its popular website songshuhui.net, that aims to make science accessible to all, were invited by China's most popular portal sina.com on March 15 to host an online discussion on the nuclear crisis' influence on other nations via Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

You Shiyou, one of the hosts and also assistant editor-in-chief of songshuhui.net, says: "We are always keen to present the science of what goes on around us. So when the earthquake struck, we started following it right away."

The heated discussions on songshuhui.net, packed with essays about the radiation threat and articles explaining the earthquake and tsunami, drew Sina's attention.

Most of the "squirrels" are science researchers and students, whose various specialties contribute to the website's comprehensive coverage of science topics.

The articles relating to Japan's recent calamity are mainly written and translated by experts on climate, chemistry and physics.

A post-graduate student of biology, You was joined on the Sina panel by four fellow "scientific squirrels", including a doctorate holder in environmental chemistry and a PhD student of physics at the University of California, Berkeley.

They not only explained the science behind the unfolding catastrophe in Japan but also took the opportunity to quash wild rumors doing the rounds.

"The so-called 'radiation-proof' clothing for pregnant woman currently being sold on the street offers no protection from radioactivity," You clarified.

When a netizen asked if radioactive material could land in China by rain, the PhD student responded with a firm "no" and said the radiation leak in Japan posed no threat to China as the winds over Japan were blowing eastward across the Pacific.

"Occasionally, there are questions that go beyond the scope of our knowledge and then we just tell the truth that we don't know," You says.

"When there are contradictory views, we state the facts, but usually we are able to arrive at a consensus."

"We'll continue following the situation in Japan and keep updating our articles related to the crisis," she adds.