[This] is the untold story of Steinhardt's odyssey and a candid account of the brilliant, and often bruising, battles that take place behind the scenes of scientific progress. Steinhardt and his stellar team of researchers encounter international smugglers, corrupt scientists, secret diaries, fraudulent traders, political intrigue, and Russian security agents. Their search culminates in a daring expedition to one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth, pursuing tiny fragments of a meteorite forged at the birth of the solar system. Steinhardt and his team chart a new direction in science. They not only change our ideas about the fundamentals of matter but also reveal new truths about the processes that shaped our solar system. The underlying science is deceptively simple, unexpectedly beautiful, and nothing short of revolutionary. Steinhardt's firsthand account is a scientific thriller of the first order.