Diploma Biology Notes Essay Example for Free

Diploma Biology Notes Essay DNA is a huge information database that carries the complete set of instructions for making all the proteins a cell will ever need! Although there are only four different bases in DNA (A, C, G and T), the order in which the bases occur determines the information to make a protein, just like the 26 letters of the alphabet combine to form words and sentences: Compare: RAT TAR ART same 3 letters; completely different meanings. And with DNA: GAC AGC CGA same 3 letters; completely different meanings to the cell (specifies the amino acids Aspartic Acid, Serine, and Arginine) Q: Review: What are genes? A: The DNA in each chromosome that DOES provide the instructions for a protein is called a gene. * In the 1940s, scientists proposed, fairly correctly, that each gene codes for (contains the instructions for) one protein. This is referred to as the one-gene, one-protein hypothesis. * One gene will code for perhaps two or more related proteins. * Scientists realized that we had only about 30,000 genes, coding for 100,000 different proteins rather than the 100,000 genes that had been estimated for the human genome * The basic hypothesis is still the same, but we know a lot more details. Q: If DNA is in the nucleus and proteins are synthesized in the cytoplasm, on ribosomes and in the RER, how to they get together? A: The answer: use a messenger to carry the instructions from DNA out into the cytoplasm. A nucleic acid very similar to DNA, called mRNA or messenger RNA, is a copy of a gene, and serves this function the bridge between DNA and protein: The Central Dogma:DNA encodes the information to make RNA and RNA molecules function together to make protein| II. What is RNA and how is it different from DNA? Two big differences between DNA and RNA: * 1. The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose; in RNA it is ribose * 2. The nitrogenous base uracil (U) is used in RNA in place of T (they are very similar bases; in RNA U= A just like T = A.) III. Transcription: Re-writing DNA into RNA DNA has a sense strand and an antisense strand. The antisense strand is complementary to the sense strand. It is also known as the template strand, as this is the strand, which is used for transcription making mRNA. DNA is transcribed or re-written into RNA in a very complicated process called transcription. Simply stated, during transcription, one gene (DNA) is re-written into RNA in the nucleus: * A team of enzymes and proteins binds to the promoter, or starting region, of a gene. * These enzymes and proteins unzip the DNA double helix just at the region of the gene. * The enzyme RNA polymerase uses one of the DNA strands to make an RNA copy of that one gene. * This copy, which contains the instructions to make 1 protein, is called an mRNA or messenger RNA. * After the mRNA is made, it is trimmed down to a final size, and shipped out of the nucleus. * When the mRNA gets into the cytoplasm, it is made into protein * Complete transcription of an RNA molecule. 1. The resulting RNA nucleotides are added on the 3’ end of the growing of mRNA strand. 2. RNA polymerase detaches itself and mRNA is released. 3. Eukaryote pre- mRNA contains exons and introns: * Introns are non-coding regions that need to be removed before translation The structure of tRNA matches its functions : Funtion : to bring amino acids from the cytoplasm to the growing polypeptide and to attach them in the current location. tRNA is activated by a tRNA activating enzyme. tRNA delivers amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain in translation. It picks up new amino acids when activated by a specific tRNA activating enzyme. IV. Connection between mRNA and protein: The order of the bases in the DNA specifies the order of bases in the mRNA, and The order of bases in the mRNA specifies the order of amino acids in a protein.| The genetic code is a triplet code (handout) 1. Nucleotides on mRNA are read three at a time by the ribosome. * Every three nucleotides in an mRNA (a codon) specify the addition of one amino acid in a protein. * For example, a 600 nucleotide mRNA will code for a 200 amino acid protein. 2. The amino acids corresponding to all 64 codons have been determined. All proteins start with the initiation codon AUG (Met) * All proteins end with stop codons -either UAA, UGA, or UAG * Some codons that differ in the third nucleotide can still code for the same amino acid The genetic code chart represents the sequence on the mRNA codon. V. Translation = De-coding RNA into protein During translation, the mRNA transported to the cytoplasm is de-coded or translated to produce the correct order of amino acids in a protein. Translation requires numerous enzymes. rRNA = ribosomal RNA; these RNA molecules associate with other proteins to form the ribosomes. Each ribosome can accept two tRNAs at a time (carrying amino acids) and one mRNA. tRNA = transfer RNA; small RNA molecules that carry a specific amino acid at one end and an anticodon region that recognizes and binds mRNA at the other end. The tRNA that binds to that mRNA codon determines what amino acid is added to a protein chain. The Three RNAs (mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA) all work together to turn the information in DNA into a 3-dimestional protein. The steps of translation: 1. Initiation: mRNA enters the cytoplasm and becomes associated with ribosomes (rRNA + proteins). tRNAs, each carrying a specific amino acid, pair up with the mRNA polys inside the ribosomes. Base pairing (A-U, G-C) between mRNAcodons and tRNA anticodons determines the order of amino acids in a protein. 2. Elongation: addition of amino acids one-by-one: As the ribosome moves along the mRNA, the tRNA transfers its amino acid to the growing protein chain, producing the protein codon by codon! 3. Termination: when the ribosomes hit a stop codon UAA, UGA, or UAG the ribosome falls apart. The same mRNA may be used hundreds of times during translation by many ribosomes before it is broken down by the cell.

Explication of Emily Dickinsons I Felt a Funeral in My Brain Essay

Explication of Emily Dickinson's "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" Works Cited Not Included In the poem "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" Emily Dickinson exposes a person's intense anguish and suffering as they sink into a state of extreme madness. The poem is a carefully constructed analysis of the speaker's own mental experience. Dickinson uses the image of a funeral-service to symbolize the death of the speaker's sanity. The poem is terrifying for the reader as it depicts a realization of the collapse of one's mental stability, which is horrifying for most. The reader experiences the horror of the speaker's descending madness as the speaker's mind disintegrates and loses its grasp on reality. "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain," by Emily Dickinson creates an illusion of a mind becoming unstable by expressing the speaker's pain, describing her irrationality, and the speaker tragically ending her existence. The first major reason that "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" creates an illusion of a mind becoming unstable is by expressing the speaker's pain. It is obvious through the first and second stanza that the speaker is aware that she is losing her sense of stability. The speaker is fighting to keep her sanity as the pressure of her "sense was breaking through" (line 4). The "Mourners" that are "treading - treading" represent the pain that she is feeling while battling her fight to keep her mental state (line 2-3). The repetition of the word "treading - treading" only emphasizes the fact that she is losing her battle and it has become apparent to her (line 3). Finally, she gives up her fight, which is why "they were all seated," indicating that she is accepting that her sanity is leaving her. Her sanity... ...mind will be peaceful once more as it has all of eternity to rest. In conclusion, "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain," by Emily Dickinson creates an illusion of a mind becoming unstable by expressing the speaker's pain, describing her irrationality, and the speaker tragically ending her existence. Throughout the poem, the speaker's feelings of grief and pain are evident. As a result of her pain and grief, it becomes obvious that the speaker must choose between a state of madness or a state of solitude. Due to her irrational state of mind, the speaker chooses to commit suicide as she feels that it is the only method for her to control her own destiny. The poem truly expresses a person's loss of connection with reality. The poem not only gives an intense examination of insanity, but it also reflects a person's soul as it moves towards its final breakdown.

The Lorax Reaction Paper

The Lorax A. Summary Theodore â€Å"Ted† Wiggins, an idealistic 12-year-old boy, lives in â€Å"Thneedville†, a walled city that, aside from the citizens, is completely artificial: everything is made of plastic, metal, or synthetics. Ted sets out to find a  real  tree for his friend Audrey. His energetic grandmother suggests he speak with the Once-ler about this, and he discovers that their city has been closed off from the outside world, which is a contaminated and empty wasteland. The Once-ler agrees to tell Ted about the trees if he listens to his story over multiple visits.Ted agrees, even after the mayor of Thneedville, Aloysius O'Hare, who is also the greedy proprietor of a bottled  oxygen  company, confronts the boy and pressures him to stay in town. Over the course of the movie, Ted, with the encouragement of his grandmother, continues to sneak out of O'Hare's sight and learns more of the history of the trees. Over the visits, the Once-ler recounts the s tory of how he departed his family to make his fortune. In a lush Truffula Tree forest, he met the Lorax.He is a grumpy yet charming orange creature who served as guardian of the land. At first, the Once-ler had a plan to chop down the trees. Eventually, he promised not to chop another tree down. The young businessman's Thneed invention soon became a major success and the Once-ler's family arrived to participate in the business. Keeping his promise at first, the Once-ler continued Thneed production by harvesting the tufts themselves in a sustainable manner. Unfortunately, his greedy and lazy relatives convinced him to resume logging as a more efficient gathering method.Breaking his promise, the Once-ler's  deforestation  spiraled into a mass overproduction. Flush with wealth, the Once-lerrationalized his short sighted needs into arrogant self-righteousness and the helpless protests of the Lorax could not stop him. The Once-ler polluted the sky, river and landscape, until finally the last Truffula Tree fell outside, and the Once-lerrealized what he had done while making the region uninhabitable with his business's pollution.With that, the Once-ler was left ruined and abandoned by his own family and became a  recluse  with the creation and solation of Ted's town that came under young Mr. O'Hare's control, giving him the plan to sell fresh air with the absence of trees. Eventually, the Lorax sends the animals away before departing himself into the sky, leaving a stonecut word: â€Å"Unless†. At the end of the story, the Once-ler understands the meaning behind the Lorax's last message, and gives Ted a gift of the last Truffula seed in hopes of planting it to regrow the forest. Ted's desire to impress Audrey is now a personal mission to remind his town of the importance of nature.O'Hare, determined not to have trees undercut his business, takes heavy-handed steps such as covering Audrey's nature paintings, closing off the door that Ted uses to see th e Once-ler and forcibly searching Ted's room for the seed. Ted enlists his family and Audrey to help plant the seed, which has begun to germinate after coming into contact with water. O'Hare and his employees pursue the  dissidents  until they manage to elude him and reach the town center. Unfortunately, their attempt to plant the seed is interrupted by O'Hare who rallies the population to stop them.To convince them otherwise, Ted takes an  earthmover  and rams down a section of the city wall to reveal the environmental destruction outside. Horrified at the sight and inspired by Ted's conviction, the crowd defies O'Hare with his own henchmen expelling him from the town. The seed is planted, and Audrey kisses Ted on the cheek. Time passes and the land is starting to recover; the trees are regrowing, the animals are returning, and the redeemed Once-ler is happily reunited with the Lorax. B. SettingThe story took place in â€Å"Thneedville†, a walled city that, aside fro m the citizens, is completely artificial: everything is made of plastic, metal, or synthetics. The setting is a polluted town where trees don't grow and fresh air is sold in jars. C. Characters Ted- a young boy who is out to win the heart of his pretty neighbor Audrey. He has a caring and innocent nature, and he is moved by the story the Once-ler tells. He is also a resourceful and determined kid, so he continues to fight for the chance to see a real tree, even when he is threatened by the greedy businessman O'Hare.Audrey- an artistic girl who wants nothing more than to see a real tree. When she conveys her dream to Ted, he determines to make sure her dream comes true. Grammy Norma- Ted's grandmother tells Ted to go outside the town and speak with the Once-ler and learn about what happened to the trees. Once-ler–started out as a musically talented and good-natured guy. But, when he refuses to heed the warnings of the Lorax, the Once-ler makes a decision that leads him down a dark and greedy road full of regret. The Lorax- a grumpy but charming orange creature who speaks for the trees.Although he sounds quite gruff, he has a lot of love packed into his little body. He even finds a way to have compassion for the Once-ler, who refuses to heed the Lorax's warnings. Mr. Aloysius O’Hare- the mayor of Thneedville and head of the â€Å"O'Hare Air† company  who doesn’t want the trees to come back because they would ruin his business, which is selling bottled air. D. Problem / Conflict The conflict of the story is the Lorax, who clearly symbolizes Mother Nature’s response to our own abuse of the environment.The Lorax literally speaks for both the trees and the animals of the land. He repeatedly warns Once-ler of the damage he is doing just like Mother Nature warns us when we damage the environment. The Bar-ba-loots are the first among the native animals to get pushed out by the destruction done by Once-ler. The other animals flee as a result of the pollution, and each are clearly presented by the Lorax as a warning to Once-ler, just as Mother nature presents us with the warnings of red tides, ozone pollution, and increasing numbers of endangered species. E.Resolution The boy obviously symbolizes the story’s solution to the problem created by the Once-lers of our world. The story opens with the curious boy who asks questions and is willing to pay the price to learn the answers. He represents the hope of the next generation. He listens to the Once-ler’s entire story showing how much he cares about the knowledge that Once-ler can give him. When Once-ler finishes the story, he willingly accepts the challenge of repairing the land of the Truffula as is seen when he raises his hands to catch the last Truffula seed.Seuss demonstrates his belief that today’s children truly are the solution to our own environmental issues by allowing that boy to be the spark that helps Once-ler figure out the puzzli ng message left by the Lorax. When he sees the potential represented by the boy, he willingly offers both resources and advice to make the boy’s challenge possible. F. Moral Lesson The  movie has a strong environmental theme. In today’s â€Å"disposable â€Å"generation the value of things is greatly diminished. Children grow up with abundance of â€Å"stuff† and food and quickly learn that â€Å"it’s easier to buy a new one that to fix the old one. The movie stresses the importance of valuing things and the negative aspects of wasting. It is about the power of one person to change the world and make a difference. It takes the audience in and makes the audience think about what the future might look like as we continue on the path of environmental destruction.The movie asks the audience to dream bigger and to reach for the impossible. A young boy living in a polluted town visits a strange reclusive man called the Once-ler â€Å"on the far end of tow n where the Grickle-grass grows†¦ n the Street of the Lifted Lorax†, who never appears in full onscreen; only his limbs are shown. The boy pays the Once-ler fifteen cents, a nail, and the shell of a great-great-great grandfather snail to explain why the area is in such a run-down state. The Once-ler explains to the boy (shown in  flashback) that he arrived in a beautiful, pristine valley containing happy, playful fauna that spent their days romping around blissfully among â€Å"Truffula trees†. The Once-ler proceeded to cut down the Truffula trees to gather raw material to knit â€Å"Thneeds,† a comically versatile invention of his, â€Å"which everyone needs†.Thneeds can be used as a shirt, a sock, a glove, a hat, a carpet, a pillow, a sheet, or a curtain. By cutting down the tree, however, he summoned the titular Lorax, who was â€Å"shortish and oldish and brownish and mossy †¦ with a voice that was sharpish and bossy†, to appear from the stump of a Truffula tree. He â€Å"speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues† and warned the Once-ler of the consequences of cutting down the truffula trees, but the Once-ler ignored him, instead calling his relatives to come and work in his factory.Soon the once beautiful area became choked with pollution and the Lorax sent away the fauna to find more hospitable habitats. Confronted by the Lorax, the Once-ler declared his intention to keep â€Å"biggering† his operations, but at that very moment, they â€Å"heard the tree fall. The very last Truffula tree of them all. † Without raw materials, his factory shut down; without the factory, his relatives left. Then the Lorax, silently, with one â€Å"very sad, sad backward glance†, lifted himself by the seat of his pants and flew away through the clouds.The Once-ler lingered on in his crumbling residence, living in seclusion and remorse, while pondering over a message the Lorax left behind: a s tone slab etched with the word â€Å"Unless†. In the present, the Once-ler says that he now realizes that the Lorax means that  unless  someone cares, the situation will not improve. The Once-ler then gives the boy the last Truffula seed and tells him to plant it, saying that â€Å"Truffula Trees are what everyone needs† and hoping that, if the boy grows a whole forest of the trees, â€Å"the Lorax, and all of his friends may come back. â€Å"

The Case of Convicted Killer Jeffrey MacDonald

On February 17, 1970, a horrific crime took place in the Fort Bragg, North Carolina army base home of U.S. Army surgeon Captain Jeffrey MacDonald. The doctor claimed strangers had broken in, attacked him, and slaughtered his pregnant wife and their two young daughters in a manner that eerily resembled the recent Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by the Manson Family in California. Army investigators didnt buy his story. MacDonald was charged with the murders but later released. Though the case was dismissed, it was far from over. In 1974, a grand jury was convened. MacDonald, now a civilian, was indicted for murder the following year. In 1979, he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. Even in the face of conviction, MacDonald has staunchly maintained his innocence and launched numerous appeals. Many people believe him; others do not, including Fatal Vision author Joe McGinnis, who was engaged by MacDonald to write a book exonerating him—but got one condemning him instead. Jeffrey and Colette MacDonalds Bright Beginnings Jeffrey MacDonald and Colette Stevenson grew up in Patchogue, New York. Theyd known one another since grade school. They began dating in high school and the relationship continued during their college years. Jeffrey was at Princeton and Colette attended Skidmore. Just two years into college, in the fall of 1963, the couple decided to marry. By April 1964, their first child Kimberly was born. Colette put her education on hold to become a full-time mother while Jeffrey continued his studies. After Princeton, MacDonald attended Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. While there, the couples second child Kristen Jean was born in May 1967. Times were tough financially for the young family but the future looked bright. After graduating from medical school the following year and completing his internship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, MacDonald decided to join the U.S. Army. The family relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Advancement came quickly for Captain MacDonald, who was soon appointed Group Surgeon to the Special Forces (Green Berets). Colette was enjoying her role as a busy homemaker and mother of two but she had plans to return to college with the eventual goal of becoming a teacher. Over the Christmas holidays in 1969, Colette let friends know that Jeff would not be going to Vietnam as theyd feared he might. For the MacDonalds, life seemed normal and happy. Colette was expecting a third child—a boy—in July but just two months into the new year, Colettes life and those of her children would come to a tragic and terrifying end. A Horrific Crime Scene On February 17, 1970, an emergency call was forwarded from an operator to the military police at Fort Bragg. Captain Jeffrey MacDonald was pleading for help. He begged for someone to send an ambulance to his home. When the MPs got to the MacDonald residence, they found 26-year-old Colette, along with her two children, 5-year-old Kristen and 2-year-old, Kimberly, dead. Lying beside Colette was Captain Jeffrey MacDonald, his arm stretched over his wifes body. MacDonald was wounded but alive. Kenneth Mica, one of the first MPs to arrive on the scene, discovered the bodies of Colette and the two girls. Colette was on her back, her chest partially covered by a torn pajama top. Her face and head had been battered. She was covered in blood. Kimberlys head had been bludgeoned. The child also suffered stab wounds on her neck. Kristen had been stabbed in her chest and back 33 times with a knife and 15 more with an icepick. The word Pig was scrawled in blood on the headboard in the master bedroom. MacDonald appeared to be unconscious. Mica performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When MacDonald came to, he complained of not being able to breathe. Mica says that while MacDonald did request medical attention, he attempted to shove him away, urgently demanding that the MP tend to his children and wife instead. The Woman in the Floppy Hat When Mica questioned MacDonald about what had happened, MacDonald told him that three male intruders accompanied by a hippie-type woman had broken into the home and attacked him and his family. According to MacDonald, a blonde female, wearing a floppy hat, high-heeled boots and holding a candle had chanted, Acid is groovy. Kill the pigs, as the carnage took place. Mica recalled noticing a woman who fit that description while en route to the crime scene. She was standing outside in the rain on a street not far from the MacDonald home. Mica informed a superior at the armys Criminal Investigation Division (CID) about having seen the woman but says his observations were ignored. The CID chose to remain focused on the physical evidence and the statements MacDonald made regarding the crimes to formulate their theory of the case. The First Murder Charges At the hospital, MacDonald was treated for wounds to his head, as well as various cuts and bruises to his shoulders, chest, hand, and fingers. He also sustained several puncture wounds around his heart, including one that punctured his lung, causing it to collapse. MacDonald remained hospitalized for a week, leaving only to attend the funerals of his wife and daughters. MacDonald was released from the hospital on February 25, 1970. On April 6, 1970, MacDonald underwent an extensive interrogation by CID investigators, who concluded that MacDonalds injuries were superficial and self-inflicted. They believed that his story about intruders was a fabrication created as a coverup and that MacDonald himself was responsible for the murders. On May 1, 1970, Captain Jeffrey MacDonald was formally charged by the U.S. Army for the murder of his family. Five months later, however, Colonel Warren Rock, the presiding officer over the Article 32 hearing, recommended that the charges be dropped, citing insufficient evidence to indict. MacDonalds defense civilian defense attorney Bernard L. Segal had argued that the CID botched their jobs at the crime scene, losing or compromising valuable evidence. He also floated a credible theory of alternative suspects, claiming to have found Helena Stoeckley, the woman in the floppy hat, and her boyfriend, a drug-using army veteran named Greg Mitchell, as well as witnesses who claimed Stoeckley had confessed to her involvement in the murders. After a five-month inquisition, MacDonald was released and received an honorable discharge in December. By July  1971 he was in living in Long Beach, California, and working at the St. Mary Medical Center. Colettes Parents Turn Against MacDonald Initially, Colettes mother and stepfather, Mildred and Freddie Kassab, fully supported MacDonald, believing him innocent. Freddie Kassab testified for MacDonald at his Article 32 hearing. But all that changed when they reportedly received a disturbing phone call from MacDonald in November 1970, during which he claimed to have hunted down and killed one of the intruders. While MacDonald explained away the call as an attempt to get an obsessive Freddie Kassab to let go of the investigation, the revenge story made the Kassabs uneasy. Their suspicions were stoked by several media appearances MacDonald made, including one on The Dick Cavett Show in which he showed no signs of grief or outrage over the murders of his family. Instead, MacDonald spoke angrily of the Armys mishandling of the case, going so far as to accuse CID investigators of lying, covering up evidence, and scapegoating him for their bungling. MacDonalds behavior and what they deemed arrogant demeanor led the Kassabs to think that MacDonald might have actually murdered their daughter and grandchildren after all. After reading a full transcript of MacDonalds Article 32 hearing, they were convinced. Believing MacDonald to be guilty, In 1971, Freddie Kassab and CID investigators returned to the crime scene, where they attempted to recreate the events of the killings as described by MacDonald, only to arrive at the conclusion that his account was totally implausible. Concerned that MacDonald was going to get away with murder, in April of 1974 the aging Kassabs filed a citizens complaint against their former son-in-law. In August, a grand jury convened to hear the case in Raleigh, North Carolina. MacDonald waived his rights and appeared as the first witness.  In 1975, MacDonald was indicted on one count of first-degree murder in the death of one of his daughters, and two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of his wife and second child. While MacDonald awaited trial, he was released on $100,000 bail. During this time, his lawyers appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss the charges on the grounds that his right to a speedy trial had been violated. The decision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in on May 1, 1978, and MacDonald was remanded for trial. The Trial and the Verdict The trial opened on July 16, 1979, in Federal Court in Raleigh, North Carolina with Judge Franklin Dupree presiding (the same judge who’d heard Grand Jury arguments five years before). The prosecution entered into evidence a 1970 Esquire magazine found at the crime scene. The issue featured an article on the Manson family murders, which they argued had given MacDonald the blueprint for his so-called â€Å"hippie† murder scenario. The prosecution also called an FBI lab technician whose testimony regarding physical evidence from the stabbings wholly contradicted the events as described by MacDonald. In Helena Stoeckley’s testimony, she claimed never to have been inside the MacDonald’s home. When the defense attempted to call rebuttal witnesses to refute her assertions, they were denied by Judge Dupree. MacDonald took the stand in his own defense but despite a lack of motive, he was unable to come up with a convincing argument to disprove the prosecution’s theory of the murders. On August 26, 1979, he was convicted of second-degree murder for the deaths of Collette and Kimberly, and first-degree murder of Kristen.   The Appeals On July 29, 1980, a panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned MacDonald’s conviction, again as a violation of his 6th Amendment right to a speedy trial. In August, he was released on $100,000 bail. MacDonald returned to his job as the Head of Emergency Medicine at the Long Beach Medical Center. When the case was heard once again in December, the 4th Circuit upheld their earlier decision but the U.S. government appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Oral arguments in the case took place in December 1981. On March 31, 1982, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that MacDonald’s right to a speedy trial had not been violated. He was sent back to prison. Subsequent appeals to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court have been denied. A 2014 appeal was based on DNA testing of hairs found on Collette’s leg and hands that didn’t match any member of the MacDonald family. It was denied in December of 2018. MacDonald continues to maintain his innocence. He was originally eligible for parole in 1990 but refused to consider it because he says it would have been an admission of guilt. He’s since remarried and is next eligible for parole in May 2020.   Sources The MacDonald Case Website.McGinnis, Joe, FatalVision. New American Library, August 1983Lavois, Denise. â€Å"‘Fatal Vision’ Doctor Denied New Trial in Family Triple Murder.† Associated Press/Army Times. December 21, 2018Balestrieri, Steve. â€Å"Jeffrey MacDonald Stands Trial For His Wife and Daughters Murders in 1979.† Special Operations. July 17, 2018