It is widely appreciated that population waves have played a crucial
role in the evolutionary history of many species. Genetic footprints of
many pioneer species are still recognizable today, and neutral genetic
markers can be used to infer information about growth, ancestral
population size, colonization pathways, etc. Neutral mutations
optimally positioned on a the front of a growing population wave can
increase their abundance via a "surfing" phenomenon. Experimental and
theoretical studies of this effect will be presented, using bacteria and
yeast as model systems. Razor blade inoculations, viewed as low tech,
massively parallel, serial dilution experiments, could in principle
provide an extremely sensitive assay for selective advantages.
