The term ‘Homo sapiens sapiens’ is used to distinguish modern humans from other subspecies of Homo sapiens, such as Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis). The repetition of ‘sapiens’ emphasizes that modern humans are a subspecies of the broader Homo sapiens species. The first ‘sapiens’ refers to the species as a whole, while the second ‘sapiens’ specifies the particular subspecies. This naming convention helps scientists and researchers clearly differentiate between different groups within the same species.
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