*By Alisha Haridasani*
It’s the most divisive question since the blue and black dress (or was it white and gold?!): Do you hear Yanny or Laurel?
Technically, the answer is "Laurel." But some people swear it's "Yanny."
The question, which is ripping the internet apart, revolves around an audio clip [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/science/yanny-laurel.html) posted on Reddit by a student who found it on a vocabulary website when researching a school project under the word "laurel." The clip went viral, leaving many listeners questioning what they heard ー and maybe their sanity.
The discrepancy in what people hear could be due to circumstance, said Brad Story, professor of speech, language, and hearing at the University of Arizona.
“It really is going to depend on the information that you have in terms of your bias toward listening to it at that moment in time," said Story. "That’s what we call ‘top-down information’ ー trying to make sense of any kind of pattern that's present.”
The two words share very similar acoustic characteristics that your brain could selectively hear it one way or the other, he said.
The bass, frequency, and volume of the audio clip can also influence what someone hears. Some people posted videos on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JFLivesay/status/996585941241401346) where the audio levels were adjusted, changing how the clip could be heard.
So, whatever the *technical* answer to the question is, in reality, it can be both.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/yanny-vs-laurel).
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 19, 2022, with a federal judge voiding mask mandates on public transportation, updates from the Russia and Ukraine war, Mac Miller’s drug dealer sentenced for involvement in the rapper's death, and more.
The 1993 historical drama 'Schindler's List' tells the story of a Nazi party member who helped thousands of Polish Jewish refugees escape death during the Holocaust. Today, Ukrainians are living a very similar reality as Russia continues to invade, and refugees are fleeing for safety. Oliwia Dabrowska was three years old when she became an integral part of "Schindler's List." You'll remember her as "the little girl in the red coat" representing a symbol of hope. Today she's 32 years old living in Poland and once again representing hope for refugees. Dabrowska joins Cheddar News to discuss her experience and tell viewers how to help.
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The new Netflix documentary "White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch" dives into how the once apparel retailer used an exclusionary business model, focusing on the "popular and cool kids," to thrive for years until its discriminatory culture and practices led to a consumer backlash. Anthony Ocampo, a professor of sociology at Cal Poly Pomona and former Abercrombie & Fitch employee, and Ben O’Keefe, a social change activist and head of diversity and impact production at Creator+, discussed the film and the retailer's rebranding in light of many allegations brought against it. "I got a job at Abercrombie & Fitch, and I worked there for a couple of weeks. But then when I went back to that same store after the academic year ended to get my job back, I was told by someone, I'm sorry, we can't rehire you because we already had too many Filipinos working at this store," Ocampo said.
Mona Shaikh, stand-up comedian and host of 'Minority Reportz,' joins Cheddar News to discuss her recent guest column in The Hollywood Reporter titled "Blame Louis C.K.'s Grammy Comeback on Comedy's Gatekeepers."
Mark Murrell, founder and CEO of Get Maine Lobster, joins Cheddar News to discuss the launch of the company's NFT, which is inspired by a cotton candy lobster named Haddie.
