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genus, plural genera, biological classification ranking between family and species,
consisting of structurally or phylogenetically related species or a single isolated species
exhibiting unusual differentiation (monotypic genus). The genus name is the first word of
a binomial scientific name (the species name is the second word) and is always capitalized.

One example of a plant genus containing many species is Rosa, which contains more than
100 species of roses. In contrast, the genus Ginkgo is monotypic, containing only the
common ginkgo (also called the maidenhair tree). Among animals, for example, the
species of horses and zebras form the genus Equus, whereas the hawksbill sea turtle is the
only member of the genus Eretmochelys.

With respect to scientific documentation, genus and species are paired thusly: the tea rose
is Rosa odorata, the common ginkgo is Ginkgo biloba, the common horse is Equus
caballus, and the hawksbill sea turtle is Eretmochelys imbricata. (See also species.)
Biologists have used binomial nomenclature to identify species since it was first employed
by Swedish naturalist and explorer Carolus Linnaeus after the publication in Species
Plantarum in 1753. (See also taxonomy; phylogenetics.)
 00:02 03:45

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty, Editor.

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taxonomy: The Linnaean system

…of a form was by genus and differentia. The genus defined the general kind of
thing being described, and the differentia gave its special character. A genus, for
example, might be “Bird” and the species “Feeding in water,” or the genus might …

zoology: Taxonomy or systematics

…indicates the larger category, or genus, to which chimpanzees belong; the

second word is the name of the species within the genus. In addition to species
and genera, Linnaeus also recognized other classificatory groups, or taxa (singular…

Carolus Linnaeus

…frame principles for defining natural genera and species of organisms and to
create a uniform system for naming them (binomial nomenclature).…

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Discussion with Kara Rogers of how the scientific model is used to test a hypothesis or
represent a theory
Kara Rogers, senior biomedical sciences editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, discussing the difference between
a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory.
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science, any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its
phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation. In
general, a science involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the
operations of fundamental laws.

Science can be divided into different branches based on the subject of study. The physical
sciences study the inorganic world and comprise the fields of astronomy, physics,
chemistry, and the Earth sciences. The biological sciences such as biology and medicine
study the organic world of life and its processes. Social sciences like anthropology and
economics study the social and cultural aspects of human behaviour.

Science is further treated in a number of articles. For the history of Western and Eastern
science, see science, history of. For the conceptualization of science and its
interrelationships with culture, see science, philosophy of. For the basic aspects of the
scientific approach, see physical science, principles of; and scientific method.
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myth: Myth and science

Attention has sometimes focused on changes occurring in the way the real world is
apprehended by different peoples and how these changes in “reality” are reflected
in myths. This reality changes continually throughout history, and these changes…

magic: Magic and science

Although magic is similar in some respects to science and technology, it approaches efficacy (the ability to
produce a desired material outcome) differently. Magic, like religion, is concerned with invisible, nonempirical
forces; yet, like science, it also makes claims to efficacy. Unlike science, which…

Christianity: Modern views of God

Some notable scientists of the 20th century, such as Albert Einstein, Max Planck,
Max Born, and others, allowed—on occasion, and against the testimony of the
majority of their colleagues—for an idea of God or religion in their concepts of life…

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