Categories: Comparisons
An example of figurative writing in science:
"Human brains, like desert palms, pollinate themselves [sic, each other?] at a distance. However, for the union of two minds to occur and generate fruitful results through a book, the reader must become fully absorbed in what a master has written, must penetrate fully its meaning, and finally must develop an affection for the author. In science as in life fruit always comes after the realisation of love."
Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1999). Advice for a Young Investigator. The MIT Press. (Translation of 4th Spanish Edition, 1916)
That human brains pollinate like palms can be considered a simile.
Read about examples of science similes
There is an extended metaphor here based on reproduction.
