Scientists may have discovered evidence of a new elementary particle that could point to the existence of a fifth fundamental force in the universe.

The potential discovery was made by an international team of physicists led by J\"orn Schaffner-Bielich of Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany. The team was studying the decay of beryllium-8 nuclei when they noticed an unexpected anomaly in the data.

This anomaly could be explained by the existence of a new particle, which the team has dubbed the "X17 particle." The X17 particle would have a mass of about 17 megaelectronvolts (MeV), making it about 10 times heavier than the electron.

If the X17 particle is confirmed to exist, it would be the first new elementary particle to be discovered since the Higgs boson in 2012. It would also provide strong evidence for the existence of a fifth fundamental force in the universe.

The four known fundamental forces are gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. The fifth force, if it exists, would be much weaker than the other four forces and would only be detectable in certain rare situations.

The discovery of the X17 particle would have a profound impact on our understanding of the universe. It would require physicists to rewrite the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which is the current best theory of how the universe works.

The team of physicists who made the discovery is currently working to confirm the existence of the X17 particle. If their findings are confirmed, it will be a major breakthrough in physics.