Culture supplied the water capacity that genes alone could not, enabling endurance running adaptations

Evidence

This reasoning suggests that the evolution of our fancy sweat-based thermoregulatory systems could take off only after cultural evolution generated the know-how for making water containers and locating water sources in diverse environments. The suite of adaptations that make us stunning endurance runners is actually part of a coevolutionary package into which culture delivered a critical ingredient, water. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 256

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s stated interest in conformist bias and developmental timing only loosely — but more strongly to the book’s general culture-gene coevolution thesis, which frames all the specific biases being investigated. — connects to: Forager water-procurement know-how is nonobvious cultural knowledge that genes could not supply — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 255; Culture is not tightly constrained by genetic nature. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 155; Adaptive complexity can come from cumulative culture, not genes or intention — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 384 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Forager water-procurement know-how is nonobvious cultural knowledge that genes could not supply #exemplifies (0.93) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 255
• Survival in extreme environments hinges on culturally accumulated knowledge, not individual capacity. #corroborates (0.88) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 107
• Human planetary colonization rests on culturally learned adaptations, not just genetics. #expands (0.85)
• Survival rests on inherited cultural adaptations no individual could improvise alone #corroborates (0.84) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 117
• Adaptive complexity can come from cumulative culture, not genes or intention #corroborates (0.82) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 384
• Cultural learning skills drove rapid human adaptation across all habitats #corroborates (0.80) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 125
• Culture is not tightly constrained by genetic nature. #expands (0.78) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 155
• Cumulative cultural evolution can create complex, well-designed adaptations without any designer #corroborates (0.76) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 379
• Culture is a genetically evolved consequence of social learning adaptations. #qualifies (0.74) — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success, 139