An example of an analogy in popular science writing:
"In the UK, a relatively small amount of snow can incapacitate the transport networks. The snow covers the roads and the railway tracks preventing cars and trains from moving. When this happens, people can't get to their place of work and this creates all sorts of problems. Schools can't open, deliveries aren't made, banks can't dispense cash, etc. One starting event – the snow – has all sorts of consequences because it ruins the transport systems in society. A similar thing happens in Fragile X syndrome. Just like the snow on the roads and railway tracks, the effect of the mutation is to mess up a transport system in the cell, with multiple knock on effects."
Nessa Carey (2015) Junk DNA. A journey through the dark matter of the genome. London: Icon Books Ltd.
Read examples of scientific analogies
Many examples of science analogies are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.
