Classification of Living Things

There are more than 1.6 million identified species, but it is predicted that there are at least 8.7 million, which means we have only identified about 1/5 of all species!

They use a classification system.

Scientists need a way to communicate ideas. It helps ensure that all of one type of organism is known by the same name no matter where it is found.

Physical traits like color, size, hair, skeletal structure, live birth, and so on would be useful.

Some organisms look alike on the outside but are very different on the inside (such as organisms that mimic other organisms). They may look the same, but their DNA is very different.

Scientists who study various living things (such as botanists and zoologists) or a doctor who wants to find out what organism might be causing a disease.

Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organisms into groups based on shared traits.

Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species

Bacteria are single-celled organisms without a nucleus. Other single-celled organisms with a nucleus are classified as eukaryotes.

When the system was set up hundreds of years ago, Latin was considered to be the language of science.

Scientific names consist of the genus and species name, which are the most specific categories of taxonomy.

Because all living things have DNA, scientists can compare the DNA of any two organisms to see how similar the DNA code is. The more similarities in DNA, the closer the relationship.