Examples of science metaphors – Science-Education-Research

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A metaphor is a figure of speech where one thing is said to be another – as an implicit way of suggesting a comparison. (It is implicit, as the person hearing/reading the metaphor is expected to realise that the statement is not meant literally, but poetically.)

Read about metaphors in science

A simple metaphor is just a word or phrase used figuratively, but sometimes the metaphor is extended to several related words/phrases. (Some examples of extended metaphor are indicated *)

Most of these examples are metaphors for scientific concepts – but sometimes referents from science and technology are used as metaphors (indicated ☜ – or ⟺ if both target and metaphor are scientific notions). The examples are assigned to themes or topics, but many could be classified under more than one heading.

Metaphors that are considered anthropomorphic (implying that objects such as electrons or comets experience the world like humans – with perceptions, feelings, understandings, deliberate action) are listed separately:

Examples of anthropomorphism

Examples of science metaphors:

The original quotes have been paraphrased or edited for brevity below – the links will lead to the full quotation and source. (Click on the link for a preview; then click on 'term details' to proceed to the detail.)

Examples of idioms used in explaining science can be found here. These are expressions used metaphorically, but which through regular use have become part of the language ('chalk and cheese', 'went South').

A document listing a wide range of examples of science analogies, similes, metaphors and the like, drawn from diverse sources, can be downloaded using this link: 'Creative Comparisons: Making Science Familiar through Language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts.'

astronomy

atmosphere

if you could see with infrared eyes the atmosphere would be a brick wall (Dr Matthew Bothwell, University of Cambridge)

atomic structure

atomic model had baroque combination of components (Dr Michel Bitbol, CNRS/École Normale Supérieure, Paris)
atoms contain a swarm of electrons (George Gamow)
building stones of atoms were discovered (Neils Bohr)
electrons are common building stones of all atoms (Neils Bohr)
molecular energy gaps can be tuned across a huge window (Prof. Michael Haley, University of Oregon)
protons are attracted by an electronic fur coat (paper published in predatory journal)
Thomson dissected the delicate body of the atom * (George Gamow)
within the outer atomic shells the magic number is eight ('Explaining Humans: What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')

atoms and molecules

an atom engages in an internal tug of war ('Explaining Humans. What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')
atom in a solid collects its fellows around it (Alan Holden)
atoms are the bricks of the physical environment ('The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook')
carbohydrate molecules are chemical springs ('Einstein's Fridge: The science of fire, ice and the universe')
energy levels are atomic fingerprints ('Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe')
functional groups find the right partners (Prof. Carolyn R. Bertozzi)
ionic bonds are stronger than their covalent cousins ('Explaining Humans: What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')
ions are formed when electrons are traded ('Explaining Humans: What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')
life is a choreographed dance of quanticles ('Vital Principles: The molecular mechanisms of life')
lithium ions are able to skate about on a lithium fluoride surface (Chemistry World)
lithium ions nestle in a happy house built of graphite (Professor Ping Liu, University of California San Diego)
molecules can be tailored for applications (Prof. Michael Haley, University of Oregon)
some antiaromatic molecules have been tamed (Chemistry World)
spectral lines are atomic signatures ('Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe')
the carbon skeleton of an organic molecule clothes itself (Alan Holden)

biochemistry

endorphins are cheeky little things (Prof. Sophie Scott, University College London)
expression of long non-coding RNA molecules is a bystander event ('Junk DNA: A journey through the dark matter of the genome')
lipids have split personalities ('Vital Principles: The molecular mechanisms of life')
ribosomes are molecular workbenches ('Vital Principles: The molecular mechanisms of life')

cells

cells periscope UL16-binding protein from their surface ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
cells shake hands ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
cells are cities buzzing with activity (Dr Adam Rutherford)
gametes are the marrying cells (George Gamow)
germline cells are fresh and unexhausted (George Gamow)
human cells are surrounded by their close friends and partners (Chemistry World)
inserting a protein into matched molecules opens the door of blood cells ('Almost Like a Whale. The origin of species updated')
macrophages survey the splenic cords ('Red Blood Cell Life Span, Senescence, and Destruction')
natural killer cells know when they have found a stressed-out cell ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
neurones reach out to form bridges ('The Drugs That Changed Our Minds')
osteoclasts and osteoblasts are the bony equivalent of yin and yang ('Immune. How your body defends and protects you')
PPAR-𝜸's promiscuous pocket is vulnerable to hacking (Chemistry World)
red blood cells have a best before date ('Immune. How your body defends and protects you')
red blood cells have limited arsenals ('Anemias, red cells, and the essential elements of red cell homeostasis')
red blood cells lose more and more membrane to the polishing process ('Anemias, red cells, and the essential elements of red cell homeostasis')
the cells of the innate immune system are usually the first responder cells (Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee, Columbia University)
T cells become tired and exhausted (Nature podcast)
T cells sniff other cells (Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee, Columbia University)
the telomere guards the D.N.A. ('Explaining Humans: What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')

chance

chance need not be an evil ghost (Mario Bunge)

chemical substances

antiaromaticity is aromaticity's dark alter-ego (Chemistry World)
arsenic is locked inside copper ('Fatal Evidence: Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor & the dawn of forensic science')
benzene has a hexagonal garment (H. E. Armstrong)
cooled charcoal eats up gas molecules (Henry G. J. Moseley)
goddess of levity can be measured and weighed (Matthew Boulton)
grammarian systematisation is full of enantiomorphism (Benjamin Lee Whorf) ☜
graphene's whizzy electrons grind to a halt (Chemistry World)
iron fluoride islands act as lithium nucleation sites on a lithium fluoride surface (Chemistry World)
it is true that lithium fluoride is a magical compound (Professor Ping Liu, University of California San Diego)
lithium chloride melts before your eyes ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder')
lithium was born at the start of the universe ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder')
PVC is a close relative of polyethylene ('Serendipity. Accidental discoveries in science')
skin gradually forms on molten lead and tin (H. E. Armstrong, chemist and educational reformer)
sodium borohydride is modern lemon juice (Professor Richard Zare, Stanford University)
substances can be chemical relatives ('Serendipity. Accidental discoveries in science')

chemical reactions

absolute tonnes of nitrosamines are generated in your stomach (Chemistry World)
acids eats up metal (Wolfgang Smith – 'Ancient Wisdom and Modern Misconceptions')
aromaticity pays for making something unstable (Dr Igor Alabugin, Florida State University)
bioorthogonal chemistry is a cousin of click chemistry (Prof. Carolyn R. Bertozzi)
chlorophyll molecules unburn water ('Einstein's Fridge: The science of fire, ice and the universe')
cyclic monomers back bite when subjected to ring-opening polymerisation (Prof. Karen Wooley, Texas A&M University)
electrocyclisation is a cousin of cycloaddition (Chemistry World)
electrons dance around a cyclic transition state during electrocyclisation (Chemistry World)
functional groups find the right partners (Prof. Carolyn R. Bertozzi)
mathematician plays the role of a litmus test for a definition (Dr Slava Gerovitch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ☜
molecule spits out fluorine atom (Chemistry World)
oxygen jumps onto hydrogen and carbon ('Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe')
phlogiston instantly revives dead metals-restoring them to life ('Crucibles. The Lives and Achievements of the Great Chemists') *
species in the polymer kingdom have backbones that can be modified by skeletal editing (Chemistry World) *
water droplets are really chemical dynamos (Professor Richard Zare, Stanford University) ⟺

cognition and the brain

limbic system and brain stem are subterranean regions (Dr Jules Montagu)
memories get uploaded to long-term storage ('The Drugs That Changed Our Minds')
memories hide in the hippocampus ('The Drugs That Changed Our Minds')
the mind is operated by springs (David Hume)

cosmology

clockwork universe is expendable (Wolfgang Smith)
galaxies formed from the break up of great pancakes ('Companion to the Cosmos')

data and information

data are the scientist's real estate (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)
information technology is the twist in the Möbius strip ('Memory Practices in the Sciences')
observations are trimmed with theoretical shears (Mario Bunge)
raw data need to be pruned (Mario Bunge)
raw data should be carefully cooked (Geoffrey C. Bowker)

developmental biology

discovery of cell multiplication inspired the Pleiades of histological work (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)
embryology is at an embryonic stage (Einstein's Fridge: The science of fire, ice and the universe)

disease and the immune system

amyloid muffles memories ('The Drugs That Changed Our Mind')
antiviral drug prevents the virus from igniting a fire (Dr Daria Hazuda, Merck Research Labs)
brain in Alzheimer's disease is stuffed with a deadly jam ('The Drugs That Changed Our Mind')
cholera haunted the London Medical Gazette ('Fatal Evidence: Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor & the dawn of forensic science.')
Ebola blocks the cell's emergency fast lane ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
fire continues to burn after virus stops replicating (Dr Daria Hazuda, Merck Research Labs)
illness is like falling into the doldrums (Jean-Antoine Villemin)
immune cells operate according to a code of conduct (Molecular Immunology)
immune system is a standing army (Chemistry World)
immune system is an efficient army to fight invading pathogens (Molecular Immunology)
immunoglobulin A disables docking stations ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
macrophage is anthrax's cellular carriage ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
microbiome is part of the immune engine room (Dr James Kinross, Imperial College London)
monoclonal antibody is haute couture immunotherapy ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
monoclonal antibody paints a bullseye on cell surface ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
myotonic dystrophy messenger RNA mops up proteins in the cell ('Junk DNA: A journey through the dark matter of the genome')
people expect infectious diseases to be stamped out ('The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the quest to cure tuberculosis')
protective antigen is a muscled henchman ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
syphilis is a daughter of leprosy * (Friedrich Alexander Simon)
tuberculosis, glanders and syphilis are cousins * (Jean-Antoine Villemin)

ecology and conservation

invasive species are incredible hitchhikers (Professor Helen Roy, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
mollusc was the king of nature billions of years ago (George Gamow)
nature plays her symphony of meaning on a clavier of environments * (Jacob von Uexküll)
personalised vaccine unmasks and flags cancer cells (BBC News)
phytoplankton and faecal pellets rain down through the ocean (Prof. Carol Robinson, University of East Anglia)
water hyacinths are choking Lake Victoria (BBC Inside Science)
water voles are part of the jigsaw puzzle (BBC Inside Science)
water voles are the missing Mars bar of the food chain (Dr Ashley Lyons, RSPB)
we call plankton particles marine snow * (Prof. Carol Robinson, University of East Anglia)

electricity

a moving electron digs a hole through the conductor (Alan Holden)

electromagnetic radiation

electrical and magnetic components of photon engage in an elegant dance ('Light Years: The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light')
electromagnetic spectrum is an umbrella organisation (Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, science communicator)
photon has a life cycle with birth and death ('Light Years: The extraordinary story of mankind' fascination with light')

energy

adenosine triphosphate is life's energy currency (Chemistry World)

enzymes

enzymes meet and capture substrates ('Vital Principles: The molecular mechanisms of life')
granzymes eat proteins ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')

ethology – behaviour

evolution and natural selection

ladder of nature became an elevator ('Life Concepts from Aristotle to Darwin: On vegetable souls')
molecular clock is used to calculate the antiquity of diverse species ('Some Assembly Required: Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA') 🏴‍☠️
the theory of natural selection was carefully built stone by stone (Ernst Cassirer)
Welsh quarry offers window on Ordovician (Dr Joe Botting, Museum Wales)

feedback

oxygen binding begets more oxygen binding (Prof. Edward Benz, Harvard Medical School)

fossils

forces

forensic science

expert witness performed test on human soup (Fatal Evidence: Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor & the dawn of forensic science)

genetics

brief encounter of X chromosomes is the mother of all one-night stands ('Junk DNA: A journey through the dark matter of the genome') *
corners of the human genome are on steroids with tandem repeats (Dr Karen Miga, University of California, Santa Cruz)
D.N.A. in gametes is epigenetically naked (Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith)
DNA is a simple alphabet of just four letters ('Junk DNA: A journey through the dark matter of the genome') *
epigenetic slate is wiped clean (Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith)
gene is a hereditary charm bracelet (George Gamow)
genes are better or worse timekeepers (Geoffrey C. Bowker)
genes unite into colonies (Geoge Gamow)
genome contains fossil viruses ('Some Assembly Required. Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
jumping genes are parasites ('Some Assembly Required. Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
molecular switches turn genes on and off ('Some Assembly Required. Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
mutated proteins can be rogue (BBC News)
mutations in gene sequences have consequences downstream ('Junk DNA: A journey through the dark matter of the genome')
pioneering toxicologist is part of the DNA of modern forensic science ('Fatal Evidence: Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor & the dawn of forensic science') ☜
stem cells given a kick (Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, University of Cambridge / California Institute of Technology)

geography

islands are bathed by the oceans (Alfred Russel Wallace)
seasonal river siphons populations (Prof. John Kappelman, University of Texas)

geology – the earth

heat and thermodynamics

cold air battles steam * (Johannes Kepler)
heat is sucked out of the piston cylinder in an engine ('Einstein's Fridge: The science of fire, ice and the universe')
refrigerator sucks work from the sink ('Einstein's Fridge: The science of fire, ice and the universe')
second law of thermodynamics is a terroristic nimbus cloud (Josef Loschmidt)

laboratory work

distillation separates spirit from phlegm (Chemistry World)

life and biodiversity

islands are populated by flotsam and jetsam (Alfred Russel Wallace)
land vertebrates are a small branch of the tree of life ('Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe')

magnetism

materials

crystal can be embryonic (Prof. B. J. Mason)
laser beam swallowed up by swallowed up Bose-Einstein condensate ('Light Years. The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light')
lasers knocked atoms up ('Light Years. The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light')
light beam can claw its way through a Bose-Einstein condensate ('Light Years. The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light')
polymers have lifecycles and could be depolymerised at the end of life (Chemistry World)
Protestantism had an elasticity ☜ (Herbert Butterfield)
solid matter is a magnificent building (George Gamow)
the loadstone and iron are twins (William Gilbert)
vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate are frigid whirlpools ('Light Years. The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light')

mathematical methods and tools

it was necessary to strip Newtonian methods of every vestige of that antique dress in which he had delighted to clothe them (Sir John Frederick William Herschel)
imaginary numbers are amphibians (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz)
inference uses forceps (Mario Bunge)
labels for types of numbers are fossils (Mario Bunge)
logic and mathematics are fibres in the body of science (Mario Bunge)
logic and mathematics are the cement that binds scientific concepts (Mario Bunge)
the partial differential equation is the mistress of theoretical physics (Albert Einstein)

medicine

at maximum dose lithium fills the body ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder')
brain prodded by injection into bloodstream ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder')
diagnosis comes untethered from its conceptual moorings ('The Drugs That Changed Our Minds') *
disorder becomes so watered down it is deeply diluted ('The Drugs That Changed Our Minds') *
incomplete courses of antibiotics set up antibiotic assault courses ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
learning to read X-rays is picked up by osmosis ('The Reenchantment of the World')
mental illness is like getting into a rut (Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, University of California)
mental illnesses result from an abnormal periodic table of the brain ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder') ⟺
reticulocyte count is a very good friend in evaluating anaemias ('Secondary Anemias Associated with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation')
Rorschach test is a fluoroscope into the psyche ('The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, his iconic test and the power of seeing') ☜
unnecessary antibiotics provide a perfect training ground for bacterial resistance ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')

microbes

AIDS virus hides in a cloak of cell membrane ('Almost Like a Whale. The origin of species updated')
bacteria are in an arms race with viruses ('Some Assembly Required: Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
bacteria create metabolic pathways that bypass antibiotic roadblock ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
bacteria develop antibiotic bilge pumps ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
bacteria use a molecular scalpel ('Some Assembly Required: Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
bacteria were prevented from being the microbial horsemen of the apocalypse ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
bacteriophages have a protein coat as a protective jacket (Prof. James Ebdon, University of Brighton)
Ebola is a titan among viruses ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you')
flu virus hitches a ride (Nature)
fossil algae make little plastic jackets (Prof. Sarah Gabbott, University of Leicester)
GeneXpert is the Nespresso machine of the TB tests (Prof. Madhukar Pai, International TB Centre, McGill University)
gut microbes have a cleaning team that work the night shift * (Prof. Tim Spector, King's College London)
lawn of bacteria (Tom Ireland, Royal Society of Biology)
microbes break down food with their arsenal of chemicals (Prof. Tim Spector, King's College London)
microbiome is part of the immune engine room (Dr James Kinross, Imperial College London)
microbiome speaks many molecular languages (Dr James Kinross, Imperial College London)
planidrome-space system is a bacterial weapon ('Some Assembly Required: Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA')
pollution can ferry influenza (Nature Podcast)
Robert Koch breathed new life into bacteriology (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)
some retroviruses are now genomic fossils ('Junk DNA. A journey through the dark matter of the genome')
Thiomargarita magnifica is Godzilla of the microbial world (BBC Science in Action)
viruses jig around (Prof. Sally Bloomfield, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

nature

nature of science

nuclear physics

physical processes

Navaho curing process is like osmosis across a membrane (Clifford Geertz) *

physics

representationalism is a disease infecting physicists (Dr Jan Faye, University of Copenhagen)

physiology

bones are living leviathans ('Immune. How your body defends and protects you')
brain is a thought amplifier ('The Reenchantment of the World')
chromosomes are joined by zipper action (J. D. Bernal)
digestive system is a chemical factory (Ivan Pavlov)
liver is the chemical factory (Prof. Ian Gilmore, University of Liverpool)
macrophages survey red blood cells ('Anemia of Chronic Inflammation')
motor impulses may be arranged into melodies (Jakob von Uexküll)
nerves can speak loudly or stop talking (Dr Jocelyne Bloch, Université de Lausanne)
neurotransmitters carry messages within the brain (BBC's 'Is Psychiatry working?')
nervous system is a puppet-master (Dr Deepak Ravindran, Royal Berkshire Hospital)
surgery can send the nervous system into a tail spin (Dr Deepak Ravindran, Royal Berkshire Hospital)
tidy gut is a well oiled machine (Prof. Tim Spector, King's College London)
urea and uric acid are metabolic halfway houses ('Finding Sanity: John Cade, lithium and the taming of bipolar disorder')

plants

protein

perforin behaves like a Trojan horse ('Immune: How your body defends and protects you.')
protein checkpoints put the brakes on (Nature podcast)
protein key opens the door to the interior of blood cells ('Almost Like a Whale: The origin of species updated')

quantum theory

dark clouds threatened physics (Lord Kelvin)
matter waves leak from the atomic nucleus (Neils Bohr)
particle tunnels through a hill (Prof. Slobodan Perović)
quantum world is seen through classical glasses (Prof. Klaas Landsman, Radboud University.)
split between classical and quantum is shifty (Prof. N. David Mermin, Cornell University)

radioactivity

atomic nuclei can swallow; become engorged; and spew (Professor Alan Lightman)
cloud chamber track is a footprint (Prof. Slobodan Perović)

relativity

all reference-molluscs are equally valid (Albert Einstein)
dark clouds threatened physics (Lord Kelvin)

scientific instrumentation

scientific laws

one conservation law swallowed others (Einstein)

scientific method

scientists

Newton was a detective (Norwood Russell Hanson)
Roger Bacon shone out like an early star (Sir John Frederick William Herschel)
scientists quench their thirst for knowledge at a fountain (Max Planck)

solar system

space-time

atoms swim in the ether (Albert Einstein)

states of matter

gas is a swarm of atoms and molecules (Fred Hoyle)

technology

computers are clones that run on the same operating systems ('Chemical pedagogy. Instructional approaches and teaching techniques in chemistry') ☜
scientists ablated nodes in a neural network (Gareth Mitchell, Imperial College London) ⟺
steam engine is a genie under permanent control ('Heroes of Invention and Discovery: Lives of eminent inventors and pioneers in science')
steam engine is the king of machines ('Heroes of Invention and Discovery: Lives of eminent inventors and pioneers in science')

viruses

virus has a cloak of cell membrane ('Almost Like a Whale: The origin of species updated')

waves

a high-frequency wave has a low-frequency cousin ('Explaining Humans: What science can teach us about life, love and relationships')

Some further examples of science metaphors

Antibiotics are miracle drugs

Black holes have to lose their 'hair'

Cells are cities buzzing with activity

Cells are fantastical living machines

Cells of the innate immune system are the first responder cells

Corners of our genome that are 'on steriods'

Dutch physicist H.A. Lorentz was Einstein's John the Baptist

Fossil turbulence and fossil galaxy groups

'Gates' in cell membranes

Lodestones (magnetic stones) feed on iron

Matter is fed into black holes

T cells are door to door wanderers that can detect even the whiff of an invader

The brain's ability to naturally produce dopamine gets fried

Was the stellar burp really a sneeze? Pulling back the veil on an astronomical metaphor

From this website

In the kind of research known as case study, we examine cases that may be considered to (metaphorically) be organisms in the way the case is entangled within a context.

Examples of science similes

Examples of science analogies

Note on analogies, similes and metaphors.

In practice the precise demarcations between similes, metaphors (and anthropomorphisms) and analogies may not be absolutely clear. I have tried to follow the rule that if a comparison is set out to make a structural mapping clear (even if this is not spelt out as a mapping: e.g., an atom with its electrons is like a sun with its planets) this counts as an analogy. Where I do not think a comparison is an analogy, but the comparison is made explicit ("…as if…", "…like…": e.g., the atom, like a tiny solar system) I consider this a simile. When the audience is left to spot a comparison (rather than a literal identity) is being made (e.g., the oxygen atom, this tiny solar system) I class this a metaphor.

Anthropomorphism may be seen as a particular kind of metaphor where a metaphorical feature implies a non-human entity has human attributes (e.g., meteors can be impetuous).

I reserve the right to reassign some of these comparisons in due course!

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