What is a silent mutation? Why is the name “silent mutation” a bit of a misnomer?

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A silent mutation is a type of mutation in the DNA sequence that does not change a protein's amino acid sequence. It occurs when a nucleotide substitution or mutation happens in a codon, but the altered codon still codes for the same amino acid as the original codon. The name "silent mutation" implies that this mutation does not impact the protein's function or the organism's phenotype.

However, the term "silent mutation" is a bit of a misnomer because it was initially believed that these mutations had no significant effect on the resulting protein. However, our understanding of genetics has evolved, and we now know that silent mutations can have implications beyond just the amino acid sequence.