Why are humans classified as a species?

All living things, including humans, are classified using the rules of biological classification, including being placed into a genus and species (what scientists call binomial nomenclature). This allows biologists to better understand the relationships between all living creatures, as well as tracking the development of life on Earth.

The scientific name for our species, Homo sapiens, translates into "wise man." But it also indicates that our species, sapiens, is the only current member of the genus Homo; the last of our closest cousins, Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal man), died off about 30,000 years ago.