An example of simile used in a scientist's writing,
"How often we find entirely new things in preparations, where our unsuspecting pupils saw nothing! This is due to the quick judgement that results from experience. And how many things probably escaped our attention when we were still inexperienced in microscopic technique and each preparation appeared like a sphinx defying understanding!
Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1999). Advice for a Young Investigator. The MIT Press. (Translation of 4th Spanish Edition, 1916)
[The comparison here is to something which does not actually exist, so the reader is expected to appreciate the cultural reference.]
Read about examples of science similes
Many examples of science similes are listed in 'Creative Comparisons: Making Science Familiar through Language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.