"One of the most fascinating scientific detective stories of the last fifty years, an exciting quest for a new form of matter. The Second Kind of Impossible reads like James Gleick's Chaos combined with an Indiana Jones adventure"-- "One or the most stunning scientific detective stories of the last fifty years--like James Gleick's Chaos wrapped in an Indiana Jones adventure. When world-renowned physicist Paul Steinhardt began his career in the 1980s, scientists thought they had identified all the possible types of matter. The issue had been settled science for centuries. But when Steinhardt pursued a wild fantasy he first imagined as a curious teenager, it led to a radical new theory, predicting an astonishing form of matter that broke all the established rules. The breakthrough would launch him on a thirty-five-year quest to prove the substance's existence in the natural world. [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."--Jacket. Provided by publisher.

Includes index.

Preface -- Making the impossible possible. Impossible! ; The Penrose puzzle ; Finding the loophole ; A tale of two laboratories ; Something exciting to show you ; Perfectly impossible -- The quest begins. Did nature beat us? ; Luca ; Quasi-happy new year ; When you say impossible ; Blue team vs. red team ; A capricious if not overtly malicious God ; The secret secret diary ; Valery Kryachko ; Something rare surrounding something impossible ; Icosahedrite -- Kamchatka or bust. Lost ; Found ; Ninety-nine percent ; Beating the odds ; L'uomo dei miracoli ; Nature's secret.