A genetic mutation that shifts the reading frame of DNA, causing all codons after the mutation to be read incorrectly.
From 'frame' (in the genetic sense of reading frame) + 'shift' (Middle English 'shiften' from Old English). In molecular biology, 'frame' refers to how DNA is read in groups of three nucleotides.
Frameshift mutations are catastrophic for cells because they're like removing a letter from an instruction manual—suddenly every word after it becomes gibberish, which is why these mutations usually cause serious genetic diseases or death.
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