You become nothing just like before you were born

I don't believe anyone truly knows, however, the law of conservations of Energy states that energy is neither created nor destroyed but only changes form. Further proof of this may be observed in many cases where some return from a previous life in another body. Here is one example that leads me to believe this experience may be just a story out of a book we designed? Who knows...but here is some food for thought:

Agreed... In my opinion, that's it, we're done.

Sad to say that may be the precise epitaph for dead companions/animals....but we the living can resolve to remember and care for living others...look for cures of disease and make safer life preventing deadly traumas

Wish I knew

Once the synapses stop purring, we are what we were before the journey began. Life is depressingly short but super sweet and I find solace in the fact that you aren't going to be aware that you are dead once you die, you will just cease to be as you did before conception.

I heard a really good analogy in a podcast about death. The guest described a road trip he took with 3 other people that he hardly knew. Surprisingly they had a really great time and bonded with each other, but when they returned from the trip, they each went their separate ways. He thinks of his own body as this collection of particles on a road trip, and they're all working together to have this magical experience called life and consciousness. But at some point, all the particles will separate and become parts of other cool things.

We just stop existing. No dreams, or thoughts occur like in sleeping. I think it would rather be more like being put under anesthesia, just all of a sudden everything stops for you.

Well the most logical circumstance is that nothing happens and your consciousness no longer exists, the same as before you were born. That is what I believe happens when someone dies,although I would love it if I am incorrect . I'm afraid of death because I don't want to miss out on all of what is left of existence. For me being an atheist is kind of scary... I always question everything, specially death.

We come from the earth and are returned to the earth, nothing more..nothing less.

I personally believe reincarnation is real..there is evidence across the globe..I think energy can not die it moves on to another form...

I'm in full agreement with everyone here who says it's just lights out - same as before we achieved consciousness. I have a very serious question and -barring a catastrophic derailment of human progress- believe it will be more than just theoretical within a few generations.

Is our consciousness necessarily bound to our bodies and brains? Can it be copied or transferred into an artificial brain that holds our consciousness and continues self? Does technology and human ingenuity hold the promise of an afterlife - a real one? Would you choose it?

I think our bodies are reduced by nature to bones.

Sinse people here like poems. I'll answer with one.
Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But the good name never dies
Of one who has done well

Coming from a Nihilistic background, I'd say you're pretty on point. When we die, our brain no longer receives oxygen. After a few minutes of this, the brain dies, and along with it, consciousness. Just my opinion, though.

My thoughts... wall of text warning
By the way you mention 'chemical signals' I think you're getting at the idea that who 'we' are comes from the chemical happenings in the brain. In order to define what it means for one's self to cease, one must first define what 'self' means.
I think it's pretty accurate to say that the mind (what I tend to think of as the 'self' ) only exists as an attribute of the brain. Life is a physical, chemical process which can be disrupted to an irrecoverable extent.
Related to this, I think it's also accurate to say that all animals with feelings and personalities (minds) have these things as a result of their brains. This includes humans and dogs among other critters that some might call 'people'. I'm not a biologist or a medical doctor, so as always, check the facts and let me know what you come back with.

There's a lot of evidence to back this up that comes from modern medicine: pharmaceuticals, narcotics, tumors, and surgeries in the brain can all cause drastic changes in personality to living people. Death of the mind occurs when these kinds of changes to the brain are taken to the extreme. The story I like to refer to most is the one of Phineas Gage, who survived an iron rod being shot through his brain in a railroad related explosion but suffered very noticeable changes in his personality. A part of his brain was removed and literally died. Because of this a part of his personality and who he was, which is to say a part of his mind, died also. A side-note on this is that the ways in which minds and brains are related is often really weird and unintuitive. It's a good example of the relationship between the mind and the brain and the story of Phineas Gage is a pretty good read on wikipedia. There's also a vlogbrothers episode about it with Hank Green: <www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrULrWRlGBA>. There are a lot of varying stories about Phineas Gage, but overall they indicate the same idea. Regardless of what animal we're considering, medicine and biology tell us that all life follows the rules of physics.

Definitions and academic musings aside...
My family dog passed away last year. I never expected I would have cried so much over a dog I was against getting in the first place. We got Clara from a pet store in my home town about ten years ago. My sister, Kaitlynn, wanted a dog. She convinced my mom who then convinced my dad that it would be an adorable member of the family to love. This was around the time of the 2008 recession and my family had never been well off; we'd had to go without electricity in the not-so-distant past so money was never all that far from our minds. That's why I and, at first, my dad was against the idea.
Anyway... we got this adorable little black-and-white cocker spaniel puppy and the three of us hated it. My mom found that even though my sister kept her promises to take care of Clara, there was still a lot of cleaning up to do from achem messes left around the house. My dad discovered the joys of Clara barking at apparently nothing at 3 AM. I was fairly bitter from simply having been proven right about our financial situation; but, looking back that may have been pessimistic of me... just a little. Kaitlynn loved our dog. She even let Clara sleep in her bed and all but lick food out of her own mouth. So, the rest of us put up with all of it because we loved Kaitlynn. Funny enough, over time Clara really did become part of the family. After about 9 years of life with our dog we'd all gotten used to the minor chores and annoyances of taking care of a dog and had grown to love the warmth, comfort, and overall fluffy adorableness of our little mongrel and the love that she brought with her into our house.

The point I'm trying to make is that while life is merely a chemical reaction it can also be looked at as more than a mere chemical reaction. I don't believe in anything supernatural; this includes gods, heaven, hades, trans-dimensional flying spaghetti monsters, etc. I do believe that the memories I have with my dog and my sister as well as all of my family are some of the best memories I have.

There's a famous quote: "They say you die twice. Once when you stop breathing and the second, a bit later on, when somebody mentions your name for the last time." Some people consider this in a pessimistic way, but I think it's reassuring.
I know it's pretty cheezy, but without invoking anything supernatural it's not exactly wrong: My own point of view is that as long as you remember someone, they will always be with you.

So to answer your question: Yeah, it's pretty grim XD
That's just my opinion though. If people disagree I'd be really interested to hear a contrary view.

EDIT: Sorry about the broken link, I fixed it.

Chemical signals have been measured and felt. ...formaldehyde turns dead bodies into a battery transmitter of sorts. ...I felt pains from my dead parents bodies. ...but no other messages. ...even if there are "souls" wafting about "the ether" the bible remains a genocidal misogynistic anti science fiction. ...drinking grape juice and eating crackers DO NOT EQUAL ETERNAL LIFE WITH A tortured crucified baby gawd anywhere ....cherish life and don't trade it for heaven bribes nor terrorized into an alleged hell. ...that's our GOSPEL good news John Lennon, no hell below us above us only sky

One challenge of atheism is constantly reflecting on the meaning of life in a changing world, as we change as human beings.

The thought of life after death is an enticing one, to be sure. I would be lying if I said I didn't hope there was something in which we could continue after we die, but I don't think there is. What scares me the most is the thought of being on your death bed, knowing the end is near, and also knowing the lights are minutes away from shutting out forever.

But, it is a mystery we must all face. And there is at least comfort in knowing you won't be fearful after the fact.

If you are talking about your own, just don't worry about it. You won't be there to live it.

You "live on" as connections in the brains of people who have known you: They can still see you, hear you, smell you... But when their turn comes, that really is IT for you, as they take you to their graves!

Hello, someone who has died and came back to life will be the only one to give you a genuine & true answer.

I am new, so forgive me if say the wrong thing. Do chemical signals really end? Doesn't energy just transfer to a new form? I think you are probably right, that we aren't anything after death, me (or my chemical signals) are never going to be me again.

One thing we know for sure is that the dead body of a human or dog will decompose in the ground and continue the cycle of life for worms and bacteria. Beyond that, nobody knows for sure.

Decomposition happens.