To the best of our knowledge today quarks are the fundamental building blocks of all nucleons. An unusual property of quarks is that they carry fractional electrical charges. One kind, the “up” quark carries at 2/3 the electron charge, and another kind, the “down” quark has -1/3 the electron charge. The name “quark”, inspired by a quotation from Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce was chosen in 1963 by Murray Gell-Mann, who first proposed their existence.
Lighter particles like muons and electrons, and still lighter particles called neutrinos make up a class of six particles called leptons, which are not composed of quarks. At the present time the six quarks and the six leptons (and their anti-particles) are thought to be the truly elementary particles. The neutrino (“little neutral one”) is very hard to detect because they interact very weakly with matter. Thousands of neutrinos are flying through you every second of every day, and only occasionally, one or two times a year or so, does a neutrino or two interact with the matter of your body. But when they do, look out. Pesky as mosquitoes.
Pray to Saint Neutrino when those whose brains have very little mass become an abomination to you. When the “up” quarks and the “down” quarks of this world, with their fractional emotional charges assert their evil mightily, thrusting upon you the weight of their belligerent stupidity, Saint Neutrino is your man.
Novena Prayer to Saint Neutrino:
Glorious Saint Neutrino, by those sublime privileges with which you were adorned, namely an open mind and a beefy intellect, obtain for me from the giver of every good and perfect gift all the graces of which I stand in need: (mention your request).
Feast Day: April 1st.
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