An example of a simile used in explaining science:
"In order to traverse the tortuous and sluggish microcirculation of the RE system in the spleen and liver, red cells must maintain their "slipperiness," pliability, and elasticity. Even normal red cells have "bits" of their membrane removed as they come in intimate contact with RE [Reticuloendothelial] system macrophages. These lost membrane "bits" are likely surface abnormalities that are "polished" away by the RE system to facilitate the red cell's ability to circulate efficiently. As the red cell ages and loses more and more membrane to this polishing process, it begins to be unable to maintain its biconcave disk shape and becomes rounder (a spherocyte), because the smallest surface that can enclose the interior volume of hemoglobin and cytoplasm is a sphere. The sphere, however, is a rigid structure. It is thus less able to navigate the microcirculation of the RE system and has a higher probability of being catabolised."
Benz, Edward J. (2018) Anemias, red cells, and the essential elements of red cell homeostasis, in Edward J. Benz, Nancy Berliner, & Fred J. Schiffman, Anemia. Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management, Cambridge University Press, 1-13.
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Without the wider context, the statement "As the red cell ages and loses more and more membrane to this polishing process, it begins to be unable to maintain its biconcave disk shape"would seem to be using 'polishing' as a metaphor, as it is not marked as a figure of speech. However, in the previous sentence "polished" has already been marked as a figure of speech by the use of inverted commas.
