Grandmas beware: Your grandchildren may kill you for good grades, Dr Karl tells World Science Festival

By Toby Crockford.

Forget “the dog ate my homework” — there is a far more deadly excuse students are using to mask poor performance, Australian celebrity science guru Dr Karl Kruszelnicki says.

The “dead grandmother index” has been presented by Dr Karl in his trademark, infectiously enthusiastic style at his Great Moments in Science presentation at the World Science Festival.

Those who were lucky enough to secure a seat in the sold out Plaza Auditorium at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, certainly got their money’s worth, as Dr Karl covered a range of topics to an audience with a willing ear.

Students trying to escape an exam often used the excuse of “a death in the family”, and grandmothers are usually the first to be killed off, according to Dr Karl.

He presented statistics showing when it came to final exams, A-grade students reported nine dead grannies, compared with F-grade students who apparently lost 218 grandmothers in the exam period.

Cats more likely to survive 32-storey than seven-storey fall

From one extreme to another, Dr Karl’s presentation also dealt with cats escaping death.

According to Dr Karl, a cat has a better chance of surviving a 32-storey fall than a seven-storey fall.

As the cat falls, it continues to accelerate until it descends more than seven storeys, he said.

At that point, the cat begins to react to the situation and adjusts its body position in the air to ensure that every part of its body hits the ground at the same time and therefore has the highest chance of survival.

But Dr Karl made a point of stating that the case was not the same for dogs.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.