One week later.
The long process of clearing the battlefield has finally come to an end.
To Lü Yongchang's surprise, the Proxima Centauri central computer contained quite a few good things.
Putting everything else aside, the data on Hall thrusters alone is enough to elevate the strength of the human fleet to a whole new level.
According to Zero's initial estimates, the improved Hall thrusters are more efficient, enough to allow the human fleet to reach a maximum speed of 20% of the speed of light outside the star system.
This is undoubtedly a huge improvement.
This is especially true for human civilization.
The Proxima Centauri system, whose host star is about to die out, is destined to be just a stepping stone for replenishing resources. They will eventually move on to the next resource-rich, habitable star system.
As for the goal...
The Proxima Centauri civilization had already chosen a destination for them.
The Ross 154 star system is 8.24 light-years away from Proxima Centauri.
Ross 154 (with Proxima Centauri as the origin)
The host star, Ross 154, has a mass of 17% that of the Sun and a radius of approximately 24% that of the Sun.
Like Proxima Centauri, it is also a red dwarf star in its adolescence.
According to the explorations of the Proxima Centauri civilization, the Ross 154 star system contains three gas giants and four solid planets.
Although these solid planets are not very similar to Earth, they are the best option within ten light-years for humanity at present.
Every time Lü Yongchang sees the incredibly detailed exploration data in the database, he feels genuinely grateful to the Proxima Centauri civilization.
We thank them for their centuries of hard work in exploration.
Otherwise, he would need to spend a lot of effort searching for a suitable star system.
"Professor, Academician Mao Zhengzhi needs to speak with you."
Zero's voice broke Lü Yongchang's thoughts.
"Hmm?" His eyes flickered slightly. "The experiment has yielded results?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing Zero's response, a flicker of excitement flashed in Lü Yongchang's eyes.
He immediately unplugged the electromagnetic adsorption device, stood up from his chair, and walked out of the office.
...
【Earth】Main Biological Laboratory.
"Professor, we have the results!"
As soon as the laboratory door opened, Mao Zhengzhi's excited shouts reached Lü Yongchang's ears.
Lu Yongchang quickened his pace and walked rapidly to Mao Zhengzhi's side, casting a questioning look at him.
Seeing Lü Yongchang's curious gaze, Mao Zhengzhi subconsciously wanted to keep him in suspense.
But remembering his experience on Proxima Centauri b a few days ago, he quickly suppressed the "wrong thought" in his mind.
"Ahem!" Mao Zhengzhi cleared his throat and reached out to pull up the results of various experiments. "Professor, the chromosomes of the Proxima Centauri civilization also have telomeres."
"Not only are their structures similar, but their roles in the cell division process are also extremely similar."
"The same principle applies to ensuring the integrity and stability of chromosomes."
Lü Yongchang was not particularly surprised by this.
Genetic data sent from the Proxima Centauri civilization shows that the genes of the Proxima Centauri people and the human genes have many similarities.
Approximately 10%.
Although it seems like a lot, in fact, the number is ridiculously low.
It's worth noting that humans and bananas share more than 50% of their genes.
"So, what did you find in the telomeres of these Proxima Centauri?"
As he asked the question, he picked up a bag of drinking water from the side and took a sip.
"The lifespan of Proxima Centauri people is probably around 80 years old."
"Cough cough cough!!" Upon hearing this, Lü Yongchang couldn't help but cough violently.
After finally managing to swallow the remaining water in his mouth, he stared incredulously at Mao Zhengzhi beside him.
Are you sure?!
"The difference between 80 and 639 is quite significant!"
639 was Augustus's lifespan.
Given that he died from a genetic weapon, his maximum lifespan should be much longer than that.
Even disregarding individual cases, the average lifespan of 500 years far exceeds the answer given by Mao Zhengzhi.
Mao Zhengzhi shrugged: "At the time, I also doubted whether I had seen it wrong."
"I even had it validated with zero duplicates more than ten times."
"But the result is the same."
Lü Yongchang's mood calmed down slightly.
As a scientist, after a brief moment of surprise, his first reaction was to think about the reasons behind this phenomenon.
His brain was working at lightning speed.
The brain, reinforced by the system day after day, quickly made a connection to a substance.
Telomerase?
Mao Zhengzhi was somewhat surprised.
He didn't expect Lü Yongchang to grasp the key point so quickly.
“Not bad.” He nodded and reached for another document. “I found a substance in their cells.”
"It has an effect very similar to telomerase."
"However, this substance exists in every cell of the Proxima Centauri."
"They can synthesize and replenish the telomeres that are worn down during cell division."
At this point, Mao Zhengzhi paused slightly, and a 3D simulation animation began to play on the holographic projection in front of him.
"According to zero calculations and simulations, these Proxima Centauri people have almost zero telomere wear within the age of 100."
"In other words, the rate of telomerase synthesis is extremely close to the rate of telomere wear."
In the projection, the cells divide again and again, and the telomere-like material behind the chromosomes gradually decreases, but telomerase rapidly synthesizes telomere-like material to replenish the worn parts.
"This process won't change until after they turn 100," Mao Zhengzhi shrugged. "The experimental sample size is small, so this is just a rough estimate."
"This time varies from person to person. Some may live to 110, 120, or even 150 years old, while others may live to 80 or 90 years old. This is the reason for the huge difference in lifespan among Proxima Centauri people."
"After the critical time point, the rate of telomere wear begins to accelerate continuously."
"The rate of telomerase synthesis remains unchanged."
"Therefore, telomeres begin to shorten continuously until they disappear."
The 3D animation in the holographic projection then stopped playing.
Lü Yongchang's face was filled with amazement.
He let out a long breath and murmured, "Sometimes you can't help but marvel at the wonder of the universe..."
Mao Zhengzhi interrupted his exclamation: "The wonder doesn't stop there."
Do you remember the special organ we discovered back then?
Lu Yongchang was slightly taken aback, then instantly realized: "You mean that organ that specifically devours cancer cells?"
Mao Zhengzhi nodded, his eyes filled with envy: "Even with the help of telomeres and telomerase, these cells still produce a lot of mutations during the continuous division process."
"The probability of this mutation increases with the number of divisions."
"And that special organ solved the problem of this for the Proxima Centauri."
"They don't need to worry about cell carcinogenesis."
As he spoke, he gave a wry smile: "Compared to the Proxima Centauri, it seems that humans are not favored by the Creator in this respect."
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