I'm sorry if this seems like a completely stupid question, however, I'm trying to understand my DNA results. I had my brother take the Ancestry DNA test and have received a bunch of 'hits/matches' but, does the fact that the test used my brothers saliva vs. mine mean that the matches I am receiving come from my paternal side? Or, are they from both my mother and father's lines? I have had several 4th - 6th cousin matches come up yet, I can't for the life of me figure out where the connection is between our trees.

Please take pity on a DNA newbie and help me better understand my results. Also, should I take the test myself? Would that help my research even more?

Many thanks in advance.

Lauren