Microorganisms are given their names in the same way that any other organism is: By their genus and species.
This system was introduced by a Swedish botanist called Carlous Linnaeus (1707 - 1778), and who has been nicknamed the Father of Taxonomy. Linnaeus' system means that all organisms are given a scientific name that is derived from a system called binomial nomenclature and means that each name is comprised of two words.
The first name gives reference to the generic name of whatever it is (and is always written with a capital letter). This is the genus. The second word refers to the specific name (the species) and is always written in lower case.
An example of this is the name that is given to human beings: Homo sapiens (the genus followed by the species). Linnaeus believed that this method made perfect sense, a belief that has been upheld because it is still the one that is used today. This method makes it easier to know, when looking at a scientific name, what group any organism belongs to before being given its species name.
To carry on the theme of humankind, the simplicity of knowing both the genus and the species is demonstrated with the names that Linnaeus gave to cave men, which was Homo troglodytes and means cave-dwelling man. Anyone looking at this scientific name would automatically know what the genus was.
When he was growing up, Linnaeus' family pushed him towards the Church so that he could follow the family tradition, but he had no interest in it. A physician from his town recognized Linnaeus' interest in botany and as a result he was sent to the University of Lund to study. Because of his dedication to his work, and the progress he made, Linnaeus was knighted in 1775 under the name of Carl von Linne.
This system was introduced by a Swedish botanist called Carlous Linnaeus (1707 - 1778), and who has been nicknamed the Father of Taxonomy. Linnaeus' system means that all organisms are given a scientific name that is derived from a system called binomial nomenclature and means that each name is comprised of two words.
The first name gives reference to the generic name of whatever it is (and is always written with a capital letter). This is the genus. The second word refers to the specific name (the species) and is always written in lower case.
An example of this is the name that is given to human beings: Homo sapiens (the genus followed by the species). Linnaeus believed that this method made perfect sense, a belief that has been upheld because it is still the one that is used today. This method makes it easier to know, when looking at a scientific name, what group any organism belongs to before being given its species name.
To carry on the theme of humankind, the simplicity of knowing both the genus and the species is demonstrated with the names that Linnaeus gave to cave men, which was Homo troglodytes and means cave-dwelling man. Anyone looking at this scientific name would automatically know what the genus was.
When he was growing up, Linnaeus' family pushed him towards the Church so that he could follow the family tradition, but he had no interest in it. A physician from his town recognized Linnaeus' interest in botany and as a result he was sent to the University of Lund to study. Because of his dedication to his work, and the progress he made, Linnaeus was knighted in 1775 under the name of Carl von Linne.
