Binomial nomenclature identifies organisms by genus and species, fitting into the larger picture of taxonomy. Scientific names are given in uppercase genus and italics. Developed by Carolus Linnaeus, taxonomy is overseen by various organizations and is subject to change.
Binomial nomenclature is the system used to identify all organisms on Earth, from elephants to algae. A binomial or scientific name identifies an organism by its genus and species, ensuring that everyone understands which organism is under discussion. Binomial nomenclature fits into the larger picture of taxonomy, the science of categorizing living organisms and assigning traits to them to understand the connections and differences between them. An organism’s scientific name could be considered its final name, with scientific names understood by scientists around the world.
You may also hear scientific names referred to as “Latin names,” referring to the heavy use of Latin in taxonomy. However, it is also common to see Latinized names, which typically honor the person who discovered the organization or the region where it was discovered; for example, Branta canadensis is the Canada goose. Greek is also used in scientific names, often in a jumble with Latin that makes some classical scholars weep.
The binomial nomenclature system was developed by Carolus Linnaeus, an 18th century scientist who attempted to codify the natural world with a taxonomic system. Various taxonomic systems had been used prior to this point, but Linnaeus established a flexible and easy-to-use system that caught on quickly. Taxonomy was actually largely undisciplined until the 18th century when people started establishing codes and organizations to oversee the field of taxonomy. When new organisms are discovered, they are reported to these organizations to ensure that the discovery is, in fact, new, allowing for the generation of a new name.
It can be helpful to know some of the conventions used regarding binomial nomenclature. For example, scientific names are always given with uppercase genus, in italics, like this: Genus species. In scientific journals, credit is given to the person who discovered the organism in parentheses after the first listing of the scientific name, like this: Animal Example (Jones, 1997). When an organism’s common name is given, the scientific name follows in parentheses, as in this example: “The Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) lives in Australia.”
The genus name is always spelled out, unless the scientific name of an organism is mentioned more than once in a written record, in which case it can be changed to an initial, like this: “The biology of the squid Atlantic giant Architeuthis dux is not fully understood, but scientists hope further studies of A. dux and its cousin, the southern giant squid (A. sanctipauli) will provide more insight into these fascinating creatures. Common uses such as “E. coli” are frowned upon by binomial nomenclature conventions, with scientists preferring to see Escherichia coli spelled out in any discussion of this fascinating bacterium.
In zoology, taxonomy is overseen by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), with equivalent organisms for botany, bacteria and viruses. All of these groups apply specific rules and codes to the scientific names they oversee, ensuring uniformity within their fields. Taxonomy is also by no means set in stone; organisms may move between genera, for example, as more information about them is gathered.
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