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A silent mutation is a type of point mutation in genetics where a change in a single DNA base pair occurs within a gene, but this change does not alter the amino acid sequence of the protein being produced. This happens because the altered DNA sequence results in a new codon that codes for the same amino acid as the original codon, or for a different amino acid with similar properties. While these mutations don't change the protein's function, they are a result of errors during DNA replication or damage to DNA.12

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