1. About Paternal Ancestry Testing
What is Y-DNA STR Testing?
The Y-DNA STR Test is the most informative paternal line test and it is always the first test that is performed when you start tracing your paternal ancestry. The Y-DNA is a sex determining chromosome which is found only in males. Unlike all of the other DNA in our body, the Y-DNA is unique because it is paternally inherited (i.e. passed down relatively unchanged from father to son along the male lineage) and thus holds valuable information about an individual’s paternal ancestry.
Determining your Paternal Ancestry
Your Y-DNA contains a unique set of STR markers that is unique to you and your paternal line and contains valuable information about your paternal ancestors. The results of your Y-DNA STR test allows you to trace your paternal ancestry in several ways:
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Direct Comparisons: By testing your Y-DNA STR markers, you will discover the unique set of ancestral STR markers that was passed down to you from your paternal ancestors along your direct paternal line. All individuals living today who are descendents of the same forefather as you will have exactly the same or very similar Y-DNA STR profile as yours. You can compare your Y-DNA STR markers to others to determine how closely the two of you are paternally related. Such comparisons are useful for confirming or refuting existing research using traditional genealogy. Search for other users who match your Y-DNA STR paternal line in the database and find out which geographical location or ethnic group has the greatest match to our Y-DNA type. Using your Y-DNA data, you can also search for matches and instantly add branches to your family tree once a match is found and verified.
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Indigenous Database: Compare your Y-DNA to over 146 ethnic groups from around the world to find out which people and places are most genetically similar to your paternal ancestral lineage.
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Ethnic and Geographical Origins Search: Compare your Y-DNA to other members in the database to which geographical and ethnic origins most closely match your paternal lineage.
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Surname Projects: All males living today who are connected to a common forefather will have the same or very similar Y-DNA. This manner of inheritance is identical to the manner in which the surname is passed down in most cultures (i.e. from father to son along the male lineage). As a result, the Y-DNA STR test will allow two males with the same or similar last name to determine whether they shared a common forefather and determine whether different family groups with the same surname are connected.
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DNA Archaeology: DNA testing has been used to answer many great anthropological mysteries, ranging from the identity of the remains of the Romanov family to identification of mummies. With your Y-DNA STR markers, you can compare your own Y-DNA to the findings from these fascinating studies and see how you may be linked to historical families and figures.
Highlights of the Y-DNA STR Test
There are currently two types of Y-DNA tests: STR tests and SNP tests. The Y-DNA STR test is the first and most fundamental test performed when tracing your paternal ancestry. The Y-DNA STR test will allow you to trace your paternal lineage and predict your Y-DNA Haplogroup for deep ancestral analysis.
The Y-DNA STR Test examines specific STR (“short tandem repeat”) markers in your Y-DNA. STR markers are characterized by short stretches of DNA which are repeated over and over again in your Y-DNA. The number of repeats varies from one family to another, making it a powerful marker for family lineage and ancestry along the paternal line.
Prerequisite
There is no prerequisite for taking the Y-DNA STR test. The Y-DNA STR test is always the first and most fundamental test that is performed when using Y-DNA to trace ancestry. The Y-DNA STR test can be used “stand-alone” for User searches, comparisons, and Y-DNA Haplogroup predictions for your paternal lineage. All of the other Y-DNA test types serve to supplement or refine the results of the Y-DNA STR test.
The Y-DNA test can be performed on males only, since females do not carry the Y-DNA (the Y-DNA is passed down from a father to all of his sons). Females who wish to trace their paternal ancestry must test a male relative and use their markers (e.g. brother, father, male cousin on paternal line, nephew on paternal line, etc.)
