Wild type

Continued advancements in genetic mapping technologies have created a better understanding of how mutations occur and interact with other genes to alter phenotype.

Research involving the manipulation of wild-type alleles has application in many fields, including fighting disease and commercial food production.

Better understanding of these processes is hoped to bring about methods for preventing and curing diseases that are currently incurable such as infection with the herpes virus.

[9] Selective breeding to enhance the most beneficial traits is the structure upon which agriculture is built, this expedited the evolution process to make crop plants and animals larger and more disease resistant.

Amplification of advantageous genes allows the best traits in a population to be present at much higher percentages than normal, although this practice has been the subject of some ethical debate.