binomiaalnaam

A binomiaalnaam, often referred to as a scientific name, is a formal two-part system for naming species. This system was developed by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century and is now universally adopted in biology. The first part of the binomiaalnaam is the genus name, which is always capitalized. The second part is the specific epithet, which is always written in lowercase. Together, the genus and specific epithet uniquely identify a species. For example, the binomiaalnaam for modern humans is Homo sapiens. The genus Homo includes other closely related extinct human species like Homo neanderthalensis. This hierarchical naming system helps scientists worldwide communicate about organisms without ambiguity, as common names can vary greatly by region and language. Binomiaalnamen are typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, though modern names can sometimes incorporate other languages or honor individuals. They are always italicized in written text.