Before revision:   Aligned reads are essential for answering important biological questions, such as detecting mutations driving various human diseases and complex traits as well as identifying species present in metagenomic samples.
After revision:  Modern sequencing platforms generate enormous amounts of genomic data in the form of nucleotide sequences or reads. Aligning reads onto reference genomes enables the identification of individual-specific genetic variants and is an essential step of the majority of genomic analysis pipelines. Aligned reads are essential for answering important biological questions, such as detecting mutations driving various human diseases and complex traits as well as identifying species present in metagenomic samples.