An isothermal strand displacement amplification method, the method comprising: (a) contacting a double stranded genomic nucleic acid having a target nucleic acid sequence with an amplification reaction mixture comprising: a forward primer and a reverse primer, wherein the forward primer has the formula: A-B, wherein B comprises a portion of the forward primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A comprises a portion of the forward primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a forward nicking enzyme recognition sequence, wherein the reverse primer has the formula: A'-B', wherein B' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a reverse nicking enzyme recognition sequence, and wherein the forward primer and the reverse primer comprise sequences optimized by software for specific hybridization and efficient elongation, a polymerase enzyme having strand displacement activity, and a nicking enzyme specific for the nicking enzyme recognition sequence; (b) incubating the amplification reaction mixture and the double stranded genomic nucleic acid under amplification conditions suitable for amplification of the target nucleic acid to produce an amplified target nucleic acid, wherein isothermal amplification of the target nucleic acid occurs at a temperature between about 45°C and about 55°C and the double stranded genomic nucleic acid is not denatured prior to amplification; and (c) detecting the amplified target nucleic acid. (a) contacting a double stranded genomic nucleic acid having a target nucleic acid sequence with an amplification reaction mixture comprising: a forward primer and a reverse primer, wherein the forward primer has the formula: A-B, wherein B comprises a portion of the forward primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A comprises a portion of the forward primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a forward nicking enzyme recognition sequence, wherein the reverse primer has the formula: A'-B', wherein B' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a reverse nicking enzyme recognition sequence, and wherein the forward primer and the reverse primer comprise sequences optimized by software for specific hybridization and efficient elongation, a polymerase enzyme having strand displacement activity, and a nicking enzyme specific for the nicking enzyme recognition sequence; a forward primer and a reverse primer, wherein the forward primer has the formula: A-B, wherein B comprises a portion of the forward primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A comprises a portion of the forward primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a forward nicking enzyme recognition sequence, wherein the reverse primer has the formula: A'-B', wherein B' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a reverse nicking enzyme recognition sequence, and wherein the forward primer and the reverse primer comprise sequences optimized by software for specific hybridization and efficient elongation, wherein the forward primer has the formula: A-B, wherein B comprises a portion of the forward primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A comprises a portion of the forward primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a forward nicking enzyme recognition sequence, wherein the reverse primer has the formula: A'-B', wherein B' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence, and wherein A' comprises a portion of the reverse primer that is non-complementary to the target nucleic acid sequence and comprises a reverse nicking enzyme recognition sequence, and wherein the forward primer and the reverse primer comprise sequences optimized by software for specific hybridization and efficient elongation, a polymerase enzyme having strand displacement activity, and a nicking enzyme specific for the nicking enzyme recognition sequence; (b) incubating the amplification reaction mixture and the double stranded genomic nucleic acid under amplification conditions suitable for amplification of the target nucleic acid to produce an amplified target nucleic acid, wherein isothermal amplification of the target nucleic acid occurs at a temperature between about 45°C and about 55°C and the double stranded genomic nucleic acid is not denatured prior to amplification; and (c) detecting the amplified target nucleic acid.