Sterile neutrinos differ from ordinary neutrinos (electrically neutral particles produced in abundance by the nuclear reactions that power the sun) because ordinary neutrinos feel the weak nuclear force, while sterile ones do not.

ECONOMIST: Research from the beginning of time

The linchpin of the model is the underlying unity of two of the three forces: electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force.

ECONOMIST: Particle physics makes sense, but it assumes too much

Instead, they interact through its feebler cousin, the weak nuclear force.

ECONOMIST: Particle physics makes sense, but it assumes too much