These companies send out DNA kits to gather a sample and you do your own test at home and mail the sample in to one of the DNA testing centers and they will return your results in a few days. The test is harmless in that you just use a little scraper paddle device and run it around inside your cheek and seal it in the sterile return envelope to send to the testing company.
If you are able to test yourself and your parents you will have absolute proof then in order to test further back in generations it becomes a little more like a numbers game. the Y-DNA test is used for testing father to son and is absolute.
If you are a female you do not have the Y chromosome but two XX's and this is called a mitochondrial test that can prove mother to daughter results. All persons enherit mita and this test is used primarily to go way back in history and you will be able to tell which part of the world your early ancestors inhabited.
This type of testing increased rapidly in the 1990's and now in the 21st century it is growing enormously fast. The more people that test and join the database of results, the better the results reporting become. Now is a great time to have your DNA tested.
This is great especially for surname studies, as you can have male distant cousins tested to show approximately how far back in time until you have a common ancestor. Feamles can enlist the aid of a brother or male cousin to prove her surname connection.
Give it a try and see what your DNA test results look like.
(genemisc)
