Selenium: A Wonder Element in Life and for Life

Selenium has attracted considerable attention from different scientific communities since its discovery by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1817. Initial 150 years witnessed limited activities in selenium research which started expanding significantly after the 1970s. Today areas as diverse as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, environment, food, agriculture, etc. are finding research problems related to selenium. This perspective aims to give a brief overview of the emerging trends in different areas of selenium research, particularly in biological and material sciences, which may hold major promise for the future. Relevance of organoselenium compounds in biological processes as well as in the development of advanced materials is covered.