A bullet screaming toward a skeleton soldier's helmet-encased head is the internet's new metaphor for life, and it's quickly going viral. He’s this week’s hot new meme, and he's about to get shot.

Some said these skeleton chairs were made in Russia in the 19th century. Others said they were part of a mysterious Masonic ritual. As it turns out, neither idea is true.

The skeleton spawned numerous memes, comparisons to Wile E. Coyote, and blowback from researchers who saw both of these things as unethically mocking death. Just minutes ago, ...