Soybeans occur in various sizes, and in several hull or seed coat colors, including black, brown, blue, yellow, and mottled. The hull of the mature bean is hard, water resistant, and protects the cotyledon and hypocotyl (or "germ") from damage. If the seed coat is "cracked" the seed will not germinate. The scar, visible on the seed coat, is called the hilum (colors include black, brown, buff, gray and yellow) and at one end of the hilum is the micropyle, or small opening in the seed coat which can allow the absorption of water.
It is a remarkable fact that seeds such as soybeans, containing very high levels of soy protein, can undergo dessication yet survive and revive after water absorption. A. Carl Leopold, son of Aldo Leopold, set out twenty years ago to answer this very question at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University. Studying the survival of soybeans and corn he found each to have a range of soluble sugars carbohydrate protecting the seed's cell viability. Patents were awarded to him in the early 1990s on techniques for protecting "biological membranes" and proteins in the dry state.
In January of 2006 the FDA (it was approved earlier in Europe) approved a dried insulin powder, dispensed into the lungs through a hand-held inhaler that, for 21 million Americans suffering from diabetes, will make treatment much easier by eliminating the need for daily injections. This product, based upon Leopold's insights and techniques is named Exubera and will be available from Pfizer sometime in mid-2006.
source : hydroponicsearch
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