respiratory system
"The respiratory system is like a bike pump because when you push the handle on the bike pump down the tire fills up with air like your lungs fill up with air. "
"The basic design of the respiratory system is like a tube that divides many times into smaller and smaller branches, so that it looks like an upside-down tree "
"In this context, the respiratory system is like a vital river that goes through two countries; there may be two jurisdictions, but it is still one continous river, whose water flow is oblivious to the ruling government. Just as nature created the river irrespective of political boundaries, the respiratory system is one continuous tract regardless of how academic departments divide it up. If you learn only about parts of the river from the two governments, each with a different perspective, you may not get a comprehensive (or accurate) understanding of the river."
"rom Chinese thinking, the respiratory system is like an "umbrella" at the top of the body, providing a protective cover for the rest of the body. The lungs interface with the world outside our body, and as our first organ of contact, the lungs also play a vital role in screening what the Chinese call "external pernicious influences" (EPI's), such as viruses, bacteria, and the ravages of wind, damp, and cold."
"While the mammal respiratory system is like a cul-de-sac, birds have a flow through system."
"You stayed for few hours in the bar last night or you occasionally spray air fresheners at home. We also regularly inhale dust that is swirling unnoticed around us. All these impurities are breathed in through our nose and mouth, and because our respiratory system is like a sponge, it absorbs all the impurities."
"The respiratory system is like an upside down tree. When air enters your body, it goes down your trachea. This would be the trunk of your tree:"
"Parrots are born to fly. It's not just their feathered appearance that is evolved for flight. Their entire cardio-respiratory system is like a turbocharged engine that is dying for flight. Their brain is capable of processing its spatial surroundings, navigating, planning, and thinking at the speed of flight! Without flight, the muscles and the brain decay from disuse. We need that brain to stay sharp to learn to be the great pet that we desire. Eliminating flight eliminates the intelligence that we need to tap into to teach the parrot to cooperate "
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.