virus particles hide beneath a cloak

An example of the use of metaphor and anthropomorphism in popular science writing:

"The AIDS virus subverts its host's cells. It forces them to make replicas of itself with an enzyme whose job it is to copy information from the invader's RNA into human DNA. Each new particle hides itself in a cloak of cell membrane into which it inserts a protein. This is the key to the infection as it fits into matched molecules on the surface of blood cells and opens the door to their interior."

Prof. Steve Jones

Steve Jones (1999) Almost Like a Whale: The origin of species updated. Doubleday

There is quite lot going on here. Virus 'subverts' cells. An enzyme has a 'job'. Virus particles 'hide' in a 'cloak'. A protein acts as the 'key' that 'opens a door' into blood cells.

Read about anthropomorphism

Read examples of anthropomorphism in science

Many examples of anthropomorphism are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.

To say an enzyme has a job perhaps seems just another way of sugesting it hs a function, but this may seem to suggest a deliberate, designed arrangment, whereas science suggests these 'functions' evolved due to natural selection. The phrasing may therefore suggest teleology, a sense of purpose:

Read about teleology in science

Read examples of teleological (pseudo)explanations for scientific phenomena

Read about types of pseudo-explanations

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