A genealogical DNA test is a DNA-based test which looks at specific locations of a person's genome, in order to find or verify ancestral genealogicalrelationships or (with lower reliability) to estimate the ethnic mixture of an individual. Since different testing companies use different ethnic reference groups and different matching algorithms,ethnicity estimates and more distant DNA matches for an individual will vary between tests, sometimes dramatically. Only for close DNA matches can secure conclusions be made.
 

DNA testing plays an important role in research. It forms a core basis of other fields such as medicine, agriculture, genealogy, forensic science and more. The word 'DNA' stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is essential to the proper functioning of human cells. In fact, DNA is actually referred to as the blueprint or the foundation which holds the information required for encoding the proteins and other cell components. The importance of DNA testing can be understood from research, medical and judicial perspectives.