Once you know the above nomenclatures, you can figure out what is the binomial name for humans by yourself. The biological name of humans was coined by Carolus Linnaeus, who is considered the father of modern biological classification.

Human beings belong to the Hominidae family along with other great apes like Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Bonobos and orangutans. Further studies have shown that while humans are related to chimpanzees to a certain extent, they are distantly related to gorillas and orangutans.

This family also contains two subgroups – Ponginae containing orangutans and Homininae, which has humans and the other great apes. Most of the time, human beings and their ancestors are clustered within a separate group known as the hominins

Do it Yourself: Now that you know what the scientific name of humans is, try to find out scientific names for other species.

Characteristics of Hominidae Family

Nonetheless, members of this family have some characteristics in common. This include:

They have opposable thumbs.
Their brain is larger compared to the other mammals which is a sign of intelligence
They also have a binocular vision which means their eyes are capable of focusing on one object.
Some members of this family are omnivores; they consume nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables as well as the meat of other animals.
In the case of chimpanzees, it has evolved to walking on knuckles. They have longer arms than legs. Male chimpanzees and gorillas are usually leaders of their groups.
Most members of this family are also able to recognize themselves in a mirror when taught. This ability shows that they are aware of themselves to a certain extent. Besides bottlenose dolphins, they are the only family of animals that are known to have this ability.
The great apes, except for humans, also share similar anatomic traits. They have broad chests and rotational shoulder blades. Their wrists are also flexible because of the presence of a cartilage pad between ulna and carpal bones.
Members of this family do not have tails. It regresses into the vertebrae and becomes a part of their coccyx.

Anatomy of Human Beings

Even though human beings share some traits with the other great apes, as discussed above, the human body and brain have evolved further. Some of the unique characteristics of human beings are -

The power of speech because of the descended larynx and hyoid bone below the tongue.
Humans can stand upright and walk on two legs. Human beings are the only mammals who possess this ability.
Human brains are fully and highly developed, which gives us the ability to speak, think and act reasonably.

Do it Yourself: find out the meaning of the scientific name of the human body. Do you think the meaning is appropriate?

Components of Human Body

Similar to all organisms, the human body is also made up of cells which are the primary living unit. Each of these cells can grow and respond to stimuli. These cells together make up the tissues in the human body. These include –

Epithelial Tissues – They cover the outer surface of organs and act as a lining to internal organs. One of the primary examples of such tissue is human skin.
Muscle Tissues – They are a part of the muscles in our body.
Connective Tissues – Bone and blood are considered connective tissues. They connect different structures of the body.
Nerve Tissues – These tissues are a part of the nervous system

The tissues group together to form the organs in our body, each of them performing a function. The body organs together form the organ system. The human body consists of the following organ system - respiratory system, digestive system, reproductive system, excretory system, nervous system, endocrine glands, cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system.

Chemical Composition

The human body is composed of water and other essential components such as minerals, salts, organics compounds etc. The organic compounds include proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids. These compounds form the structural component and also perform other functions. For instance, carbohydrates mainly act as fuels.

The chief minerals found in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron and magnesium. They help the body to carry out crucial metabolic processes.

To learn more about human anatomy, evolution, or to master any other chapter of Biology, go through Vedantu’s course materials today. You can also install our app to take your notes with you.

Binomial Nomenclature

The term binomial nomenclature is a two-word naming system first introduced by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus. The terms scientific name and Latin name are also widely used instead.

How to Write Scientific Names?

The trick to deriving the scientific names of any species, be it animals or plants, is to club together with their genus and species(epithet) names together. While writing the binomial names, it should be noted to always capitalize the first letter of the homo name and the following genus should be in lowercase.

Additionally, both the names should be italicized or underlined when written in handwriting.

Here are a Few Examples:

Humans are scientifically known as Homo sapiens.

Tigers are scientifically known as Panthera tigris.

Advantages of Using Scientific Names

Using binomial nomenclature makes it easy to recognize any animal or plant species globally, Hence, any language is not a barrier in communicating as well as identifying about the species.

The names given in the binomial nomenclature are simple and easily understandable and extremely precise.

The system of binomial nomenclature erases all the confusion created by the vernacular style of naming. As an example, Mango in Hindi is known as aam and the same mango in Kannada is called maavu, whereas the scientific name for the mango remains the same universally. Hence, this ambiguity is no longer the problem as the binomial names are universally accepted and recognized.

It helps in identifying the evolution of the species, as it is named according to the phylogenetic history of the organisms. It shows how very close certain species are linked.

The binomial nomenclature helps in easily collecting information about certain species, and sorting them out accordingly without any confusion.

Disadvantages of Using Binomial Nomenclature

Although there are various advantages of binomial nomenclature, there are also certain drawbacks. Here are the following drawbacks of scientific names:

The Binomial Names are Hard to Learn
The names given according to the nomenclature are not only hard to pronounce, but also difficult to remember. The scientific name contains two names in one and as a result, it seems hard to use these names in day to day life.

The Use of Binomial Names is Restricted
As it is extremely hard to remember and pronounce such names, it is not widely used by the common people across the world. The use of scientific names is only done by experts in the field of science or by the ones familiar with nomenclature. Common people only use the names used in their respective languages.

The Names Might Seem Difficult To Understand
The names used in binomial nomenclature are either Latin or greek. The people who do not have formal education do not seem to have come across such nomenclature. Hence, it feels difficult to understand the words and the concept of how they have been named. There must be some information regarding the prefix and suffix used in nomenclature, without which it is difficult to understand the origin of names as well as species.

Common Names

The vernacular or the regional names that were given to a species or an organism are referred to as common names. Common names are generally based on the language spoken in certain regions and can completely differ from one place to another. The naming of common names is completely dependent on the languages. The naming might differ with respect to the dialect, accent as well.

Advantages of the Common Names

The primary advantage of using common names is that there is no room for confusion. It can not only be easily understood but can also be remembered. The people who do not understand or have knowledge of Greek or Latin can easily understand this.

It would be good if people in the villages engaged in cropping and farming also used the binomial nomenclature, but that is highly impractical. For someone who has used common names for their entire life, it seems extremely difficult to use scientific names.

Disadvantages of Common Names

Unidentified species might not have common names. They might not yet be used in regular life such as wild plants. Even the rare species that inhabit only deep forest regions might not have common names yet. In those areas, the scientific names prove to be useful in identifying the species.

Since the common names of species differ from one region to another, it is again difficult to communicate. The common names also do not give out the evolution of the species like the scientific names, that is why it is difficult to identify the species just by looking at it or using its common name. The names used in the common terminology are lacking in these areas.