Nearly 1,000 experts, scholars, and students gathered in Beijing yesterday for the opening of the 2025 International Congress of Basic Science, which aims to explore the frontiers of fundamental research. Six preeminent scientists -- Samuel C. C. Ting, Steven Chu, David Gross, Robert Tarjan, Shigefumi Mori, and George Lusztig -- were honored with the 2025 Basic Science Lifetime Award.