Adopting the part of a cultural Darwin, science writer and filmmaker Jonnie Hughes goes on a road trip through the exotic American Midwest to observe the natural history of ideas. As he dissects the variation and inheritance of odd bits of culture, he examines the fashion for low-riding jeans and moustaches, the wording of successful jokes, the battle between competing shoelace-tying techniques, why Coke wins the cola wars (it's the label), and, naturally, the distinctive features of various tepees. Original, witty, and engaging, On the Origin of Tepees will change how we view the evolution of ideas and ourselves.