Help me understand DNA testing

[skauwt]

In another thread, someone mentioned DNA testing as a reliable way of learning about one's ancestry. They provided a link to a website that advertised DNA testing. I've always been curious and have thought about having DNA testing done, but I need to have someone explain it to me like I'm 6.

Here's what the website said:

Y-DNA - Universal Male Test, starting at $119. Males can test their Y-DNA to determine the origin of their paternal line. Note that the Y-DNA test strictly checks the paternal line, with no influence from any females along that line. Females do not receive Y-DNA, and therefore females cannot be tested for the paternal line. If you are a female and would like to know about your paternal line, you would need to have a brother or a male relative from that line tested.

Keeping in mind, I'm a male, again, talk to me like I'm 6. What exactly does this mean?

i got mine done a few months ago and have just the past week got all my final results in from my ydna and mtdna test and like yourself i hadn't a clue what was what about DNA data
these past few months Ive searched umpteen sites to learn work out a basic idea of time scope the test shows

i recommend if you can that you do it in conjunction with a clan group for example i did the test with the Chisholm clan group being a Chisholm i felt it was helpful for others also your not only helping find out info about yourself your doing that bit for other clansmen around the world that may be stuck when it comes to the paper trail on a family tree

the results you`ll get depends on what test you do the mtdna told me i descended from a women born about 25000 and 30000 years ago and i know her offspring spread through Europe (Spain ,Portugal) and eventually to Ireland which in fact where i can trace my great great great grandmother on my Gran's side to so i know my mothers maternal side has a wee story to how she got here in Scotland granted i`ll never know the 100s of generations but i get a sense of how people move over time

my male side links me with Britain/NW Europe
my male side had during the ice age lived in whats now the north sea,Denmark and south of Britain France and so on as the ice moved north the people went north too all the ice melt over time flooded land called doggerland which is now the north sea
splitting the UK and Ireland from mainland Europe granted these displaced people eventually split in Celts /beaker people and so on

after time these folk started showing different DNA groups folk have moved back and forth in time but the DNA test will show you for example if your ancestors are from the viking regions or perhaps like mine mightve been in the UK region for a lot longer than the viking era there are even a few chisholms that descend from men trapped here with the sinking of spanish armada boats so it goes to show the results could be anything

you might not be getting what you expected in all truth from the results but its the tracing of story of how your ancestors moved about and how you got to where you are
that for me was the whole point of the dna test it doesnt matter if your connected to a royal or a nobelmen at the end of the day where all people from the same folk

[mudd]

i got mine done a few months ago and have just the past week got all my final results in from my ydna and mtdna test and ...

I find this very interesting information. (From someone who can find only a limited hereditary paper trail.)

If you don't mind saying, where did you have this done?