The Most Basic Elements of the Universe

We would love to understand what is the most basic element of the universe, first of all. How many basic elements are there in the universe? And by elements, i don't mean, you know, like lead or iron. I mean the most fundamental thing in the universe, the smallest piece out of which everything is made. No, we don't think that the current list of particles we have are fundamental. We they might be reducible to simpler bits and pieces, exactly. But we definitely like to unify these forces and to understand them together.