Rule of the Second Fate — Richard Russell

In Rule of the Second Fate, Dr. Miranda Montagne discovers a gene treatment that extends life expectancy in laboratory mice by a hundredfold. But without more of the mysterious source material she requires, a previously unknown species of tree called Ginkgo quadloba, further research to extend the treatment to humans is stymied.Pursuing an unlikely clue to remote Axel Heiberg Island in the high Canadian Arctic, her journey turns into a deadly race as government, business, and religious interests scramble to find quadloba first. In a hidden fjord, she stumbles upon survivors of a lost squadron of Ming Dynasty treasure ships, living relics of the brief era when Chinese mariners roamed the world. The ancient crew's tale of adventure and spiritual awakening will challenge some of humanity's most fundamental beliefs during a period of imminent nuclear conflict.