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in the preface of a well known book by an authoritative physicist i found the phrase "homo sapiens sapiens." the quote is talking about the cultural evolution of said beings. is this likely a misprint, or does the term mean something other than "homo sapien"?
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it's a subspecies of homo sapiens == modern man
: )
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really? wow. funny that i'd never known that. i don't claim to be a biologist in any fashon, and don't really understand the complexities of their naming schemes, but i'm surprised that i didn't know that. [hangs head sheepishly emoticon]
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homo sapiens = "thinking man". As it was explained to me at school, homo sapiens sapiens = "man who thinks he can think". I think that our science teacher, who was, reputedly, a member of the species, had been teaching truculent schoolboys for far too long ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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homo sapiens = "thinking man"
I think that it would be better to translate it as
knowing man.
Thinking man would be homo cogitans - as in cogito ergo sum.
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Could it be "wise man"? (My sole basis for this is a distant memory; I know no latin.)
Post-edit: And less greek.
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While I'm no anthropologist and I do know that the direct Latin translation of sapiens is "wise man" or "philosopher", the way I've seen the translation of homo sapiens expressed is "thinking" as in "rational thought" or "philosophy". This also ties in with the way in which sapiens can be translated as "judicious" or "discreet". I guess you could also translate homo sapiens sapiens as "man the judicious thinker". Me, I'm closer to homo habilis. Ask my wife. 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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OED gives this ....Sapient = wisdom, understanding, esp of God.
Sapience = wise, now ironically or literary
Sapiential = pertaining to or characterized by wisdom, esp of God.
Whereas sapid pertains to food = having a pleasant flavor. (neatly tying two threads-e)
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old hand
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xara's initial question presents an opportunity demonstrate that I also attended biology classes - as well as chemistry whuch has been getting a mention in her other posts.
Every living thing (or that that lived once) may be categorised uniquely by their genus ( always capitalised - "Homo" in this case) and species (never capitalised - sapiens) and, if applicable, a sub species (also never capitalised - sapiens again in the example).
Genera and species are often fun and or interesting. A favourite biology quiz night question is: "What do the scientific names of gorillas and bison have in common? (A)The genus and species of each, respectively, are the same, ie Gorilla gorilla and Bison bison.
The giraffe is an interesting one for trivia buffs - its name reflects the confusion in the minds of its first Europen viewers. Believing it was a cross between a camel and a leopard, that's what's immortalised in its scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis!
Can't leave without mentioning rhinoceros's: rhino = nose, keras/ceras = horn!!
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