A scientific name is a formal system used to identify and classify living organisms. It consists of two parts: the genus name and the species name, following the rules of binomial nomenclature. For example, the scientific name for humans is Homo sapiens, where "Homo" represents the genus and "sapiens" indicates the species. This naming system helps avoid confusion caused by common names, which can vary by region and language. Scientific names are universally recognized, allowing scientists from different countries to communicate clearly about specific organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.