Classification and Taxonomy

With millions of species on Earth, biologists need an organized system for naming and grouping them. Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms, and it does far more than tidy up a list. A good classification reflects evolutionary relationships, helping us understand how species are related and predict shared characteristics.

Binomial nomenclature

The modern naming system, formalized by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century, gives each species a two-part Latinized name. This is called binomial nomenclature.

• The first part is the genus, always capitalized (for example, Homo).
• The second part is the specific epithet, written in lowercase (for example, sapiens).
• The full name, Homo sapiens, is italicized (or underlined when handwritten).

This system provides a universal, unambiguous label