The Burness DNA Project is intended to complement the more traditional records-based research on the Burness family found at www.burness.ca. Since surnames such as Burness generally follow the male line of descent, and Y-DNA is inherited only through the male line, Y-DNA tests can be used to determine if different branches of the Burness family are descended from a common ancestor in the direct male line. The project is open to any male with surname Burness, or evidence of direct paternal descent from a male with surname Burness.