Gluons are fundamental particles that act as the "glue" holding together the building blocks of matter, known as quarks. They are a key component of the strong nuclear force, which is one of the four fundamental forces in the universe. Without gluons, quarks would not be able to form protons and neutrons, the particles that make up atomic nuclei. In the world of particle physics, gluons are unique because they carry the force that binds quarks together, and they can interact with each other as well. This self-interaction is a distinctive feature of the strong force, unlike other forces like electromagnetism, where the force carriers, such as photons, do not interact with one another.