Photo: Wikimedia Commons/S. Rae DeathThis week Gizmodo explores death and deadly things, in all their forms—the physical, the digital, and the fantastical.   Consider the ladybug. Our polka-dotted little friend spends its days munching aphids, climbing leaves, occasionally alighting upon a delighted child’s outstretched finger, and generally beetling around being adorable. It’s one of nature’s most…

Naegleria fowleri cultured from the spinal fluid of a patient with an infection.Image: CDC In folklore and movies, silver is often one of the best tools against terrifying monsters like vampires and werewolves. But a recent study seems to show that silver could help defeat some real-life horrors, too. Silver nanoparticles loaded with common anti-seizure…

Artist’s idea of Archaeopteryx albersdoerferi.Illustration: Zhao Chuang The winged Archaeopteryx is one of the most famous dinosaurs known to science, yet arguments persist about its place in the evolutionary family tree. The reported discovery of an entirely new species of Archaeopteryx with distinctly bird-like characteristics suggests its relationship to modern birds is more meaningful than…

Photo: Robin Loznak (AP) While this should seemingly go without saying, it turns out that “kill it with fire” is not a great idea when it comes to ridding your home of pests. Nonetheless, there is no shortage of failed cases of people attempting to kill spiders or insects with blowtorches, and it doesn’t often…

Photo: Mary Altaffer (AP) Instagram has pulled from its platform a post by former Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos that seemingly praised the apparent pipe bombs sent this week to a number of top Democrats—including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—as well as CNN. The post, shared Thursday, said it…