Linnaeus names everything
A binomial system gives every organism a unique two-word name.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 23 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Early Modern, Holocene
Systema Naturae from 1735 and Species Plantarum from 1753 establish consistent binomial nomenclature — genus and species — and a nested hierarchy of ranks. It replaces long descriptive Latin phrases that varied by author, and makes it possible for naturalists anywhere to be sure they are discussing the same organism. Linnaeus also classified humans among the primates, which was controversial, and produced racial subdivisions that were pernicious.