There were at least a thousand research groups and scientific institutes of all sizes aboard the Noah. Jason couldn't possibly attend every single year-end conference; he could only try to select the most critical ones.

Even so, he was completely overwhelmed.

Over the past year, nearly every research group had produced remarkable scientific achievements. The longevity serum and the materials science breakthroughs were just the most prominent examples. There were countless other monumental discoveries spanning almost every discipline!

Jason couldn't help but marvel, "This is a true technological explosion!"

Left with no other choice, he dispatched Lily as his official proxy to attend several of the summits in his place. Since she was his chief administrative officer, the senior scientists wouldn't raise any objections. They could just compare notes and summarize everything afterward.

Of course, Jason had his own ulterior motives: he deliberately assigned Lily to the highly complex, intellectually demanding physics and aerospace conferences, saving the slightly more accessible biology summits for himself. He didn't feel guilty about it, either. He had been so exhausted lately that he didn't want to overwork his brain any further.

"There are many theories regarding human aging, and our new stem cell reactivation serum has only addressed a fraction of them. Our team collectively believes there are many other avenues to significantly increase the human lifespan..."

Dr. Constantine, one of the Federation's top biologists, was the first to speak at the summit. "We are dedicated to ensuring humanity lives longer, smarter, and healthier lives."

This was the year-end summary conference for the Martian virus research team, involving over two hundred dedicated biologists. The new stem cell drug was the culmination of their collective genius.

Thanks to the ongoing studies on the Perfect Element, the Noah boasted an unusually large number of world-class biologists. Their expertise was unparalleled, led by prominent figures like Dr. Roman, Dr. Constantine, and Professor Nakamura.

The underlying mechanics of the Perfect Element remained a mystery, making progress slow and difficult; it was likely beyond humanity's current technological limits. However, the research on the Martian longevity virus had advanced rapidly over the past year, opening up entirely new avenues for understanding the human body.

Because of this, Jason listened with intense interest. He naturally hoped that the human lifespan could be extended as much as possible!

The new serum didn't just extend one's lifespan; it actively restored physical and mental vitality. The rejuvenation was incredibly comprehensive.

For example, Dr. Roman and a group of the older senior scientists were already well into their sixties. They had slowly begun to experience a natural decline in both their physical stamina and cognitive agility. Due to the intense stress of the past few years, many of them had developed deep wrinkles and completely gray hair. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yet, after undergoing early trials of the stem cell serum, their wrinkles visibly smoothed out, and their gray hair was gradually replaced by their natural, youthful hair color. Both their physical appearances and their mental sharpness were completely revitalized!

This was undeniably a massive victory. These seasoned scientists were the absolute backbone of the Federation's technological development. Without them, humanity would have no future.

Historically, a scientist's most creative and groundbreaking period occurred during their youth. Young minds were less bound by established authority and less constrained by conventional thinking. Their imaginations were active, wild, and unrestrained. Many of history's greatest scientists had achieved their most important breakthroughs while they were young.

Albert Einstein published his special theory of relativity at twenty-six; Werner Heisenberg proposed the uncertainty principle at twenty-four; Wolfgang Pauli formulated the Pauli exclusion principle at twenty-five; and Paul Dirac proposed the Dirac equation at twenty-six.

Young minds were simply more innovative and prone to making paradigm-shifting breakthroughs.

Of course, this didn't mean that aging made a scientist useless. Many individuals could still achieve incredible scientific feats well into their eighties thanks to a lifetime of accumulated knowledge and experience. For example, the legendary agricultural scientists of the old world who had pioneered high-yield crops to fight global famine in their twilight years.

Unlike the physical body, which naturally begins to decline after the age of thirty, human intelligence could be maintained at its peak for decades. Furthermore, as time passed, an older scientist's database of knowledge grew vastly richer, and their proficiency with complex research tools increased.

In the modern era, becoming a young prodigy was incredibly difficult. With the current technological explosion and the sheer volume of advanced scientific theory, how could someone in their twenties, who hadn't even finished reading the existing foundational literature, possibly innovate or make a breakthrough? Unless they were a once-in-a-century genius, it was almost impossible.

Therefore, as technological breakthroughs became increasingly difficult, fewer people achieved fame at a young age; the only reliable path forward was the steady, lifelong accumulation of knowledge. Older scientists steadily pushed the boundaries of their fields, gradually uncovering the unknown. However, as they aged, the natural degradation of their neuroplasticity made it physically harder to achieve those sudden, groundbreaking "eureka" moments.

But now, this new serum was literally reactivating their brain cells, returning their neuroplasticity to a youthful state. It was an absolute game-changer!

Combining the boundless, innovative mindset of youth with the vast, accumulated knowledge of age... Jason was incredibly excited for the future.

"...In conclusion, thanks to our studies on the Martian virus, the Federation's life sciences division has made historic progress this year," Dr. Constantine summarized from the podium.

"But we will not stop here. Moving forward, we will focus our resources on several key areas, including somatic cell breakthroughs, free radical neutralization, the natural cross-linking of biomolecules, aging immunology, telomere extension biology, and mitochondrial optimization."

"These are our future research directives. A breakthrough in any of these areas will further aid us in combating the aging process. In the near future, we will easily be able to eradicate all forms of cancer and perfect the 3D bioprinting of viable human organs..."

The senior biologist concluded his passionate speech to roaring applause. While total biological immortality was still just wishful thinking, the medical community could finally see a clear path forward.

When Jason finally emerged from the conference room, he was carrying a massive stack of data files. Naturally, he had also taken copious notes on his datapad. Listening to the biologists' passionate presentations, it truly felt as if humanity had finally defeated death and was standing on the threshold of immortality.

*Looks like the scientific community is in incredibly high spirits! And very confident, too,* Jason thought, patting his chest where he had tucked a datapad.

This was the final conference of the day. His brain had been processing complex data non-stop for hours, and he was thoroughly exhausted. He couldn't just slack off and zone out like he used to back in his old university days. If he had just wanted to go through the motions, as the leader of the Federation, he wouldn't have needed to attend these highly technical summits at all. But he genuinely wanted to understand the various scientific disciplines so he could properly chart the Federation's future development path. He had to listen attentively.

It was already past 5:00 PM. It was time to meet up with Lily and head to the New Year's Eve banquet.

Thinking about the banquet made Jason's stomach rumble; he was starving. He returned to the captain's quarters to drop off his files and found Lily already waiting for him by the door.

He smiled and said casually, "Let's go grab something to eat. We can talk on the way."

Lily nodded. She walked past Jason and dropped a massive, heavy stack of physical document folders onto his desk. These were all the presentation materials from the summits she had attended as his proxy.

A moment later, she pulled out her personal datapad and said, "I attended the summits for physics, aerospace engineering, and thermodynamics... several of the proposals are extremely critical. There are still twenty minutes before the banquet officially starts. Do you need to prepare another speech? Because if so, I can't possibly summarize all these physics reports for you in such a short window."

Jason laughed as they walked down the corridor. "No, no, I already gave my big address this morning. I don't have any official duties at the gala tonight. As for the science summits... let's talk about them after we've eaten. Honestly, you must be exhausted too. Let's just eat and give our brains a much-needed rest."