DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It’s the genetic code that determines all the characteristics of a living thing. Basically, your DNA is what makes you, you!

You got your DNA from your parents, we call it ‘hereditary material’ (information that is passed on to the next generation). Nobody else in the world will have DNA the same as you, unless you have an identical twin.

As DNA is passed down from one generation to the next, some parts remain almost unchanged, while other parts change greatly.

There is an unbreakable link between generations however, which is why in the past few years the use of DNA testing has become such a popular tool in determining ancestry.

Since the Y chromosome is only passed down the male line from father to son, the Y chromosomal (usually referred to as Y DNA, or Y-line DNA) is only available for males.

Tiny chemical markers on the Y chromosome create a distinctive pattern (known as a haplotype) that distinguishes one male lineage from another. Shared markers can indicate relatedness between two men -- though not the exact degree of the relationship. Y chromosome testing is most often used by individuals with the same last name, to learn if they share a common ancestor.