*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).
Jill and Carlo discuss the CDC's updated mask guidance, a deeper dive into the catastrophe in India, what POTUS will pitch to Congress, and the biggest public health breakthrough of the decade that you haven't heard about.
India’s official death toll has passed 200,000, but the true number is likely far higher.
U.S. health officials say fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.
Car culture in the U.S. spurred a parking boom since the early 1900s. As a result, cities are chock full of parking lots and garages. Cheddar explains why this happened and the often unseen damage it's doing to our urban centers.
Jill and Carlo talk about optimism on the pandemic and economy, a big demographic shift that will have implications for the midterms, Apple rolling out its new privacy tool, and the Oscars ratings.
Clive McCoy, director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands, joined Cheddar to discuss how the territory was relaxing restrictions for travel to resume back to the tropical getaway.
While much of the world remains hunkered down, the band Six60 has been playing to huge crowds in New Zealand, where social distancing isn’t required after the nation stamped out the coronavirus.
As COVID vaccination numbers have increased in the U.S., Cheddar's Michelle Castillo visited the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, as it welcomed back fans earlier this month.
Officials say the European Union is finalizing plans to allow tourists from the United States to travel to the 27-nation bloc this summer.
Jill is joined by Baker Machado this morning to talk about the CDC reinstating the J&J vaccine, a worsening Coronavirus crisis in India, but also, where things are looking a lot better.
