*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).
Actor, Kendrick Sampson, talks the need for change in Hollywood and the mission to urge the industry to divest from police.
As audiences move away from traditional TV, digital media made its pitch for advertising dollars at the 2020 NewFronts.
The European Union has announced it will reopen its borders to travelers from 14 countries, but most Americans have been refused entry for at least another two weeks due to soaring coronavirus infections in the U.S.
The growing consensus is that eating and drinking indoors with people you don't know is among the worst things you can do during the coronavirus pandemic. The Supreme Court comes down on the side of abortion advocates. Also, if you have a food allergy, listen up.
AMC said Monday that it would open approximately 450 U.S. locations on July 30 and the remaining 150 the following week.
Health departments around the U.S. that are using contact tracers to contain coronavirus outbreaks are scrambling to bolster their ranks.
The Ryders Alley Trencher-Fed Society, R.A.T.S. for short, have been prowling NYC for at least three decades for rodents, and their services are required more than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era.
Jill and Carlo recap a weekend chock full of news, including the latest pandemic headlines, a bombshell report in the New York Times about Russia, and Facebook's growing advertiser problem.
President of BET Networks, Scott Mills, talks being the first network to host an award show amid the coronavirus pandemic and celebrating the networks 40th anniversary.
