Despite living in a universe where, as the aphorism goes, change is the only constant, we humans have a quintessential longing for permanence. True as it may be that, as Rilke believed, befriending death helps us live more fully, the prospect of death — our own, and even more so that of loved ones — remains utterly terrifying and mostly incomprehensible beyond the most abstract understanding.

In this illuminating short film from TED Ed, writer Randall Hayes and animator Anton Bogaty trace the history of our beliefs and misbeliefs about death, the curious biological realities of it, and what future scientific advances might bring to our quest for immortality.

Complement with John Updike’s sage perspective on death and this unusual children’s book that helps kids make peace with the dark subject, then revisit Alan Watts’s assuring wisdom on why our fear of death is beside the point of life.