*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).
After 236 sold-out Broadway performances, Bruce Springsteen is still "Born to Run"ー all the way to Netflix. Thom Zimny, the Emmy Award-winning producer and director of "Springsteen on Broadway," told Cheddar on Monday that he didn't just want to retell Springsteen's story, but "create a film that captured this magical thing ー the theatrical space."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018.
A study released on Monday found a dramatic increase in vaping among teenagers ー after a second study found that the increasingly popular habit comes with not-insignificant health risks. "Vaping appears to be less harmful than smoking, but then again smoking kills half of the people who do it long-term. So, again, it's a low bar to be safer than smoking," Rachel Becker, a reporter with the Verge, told Cheddar on Monday.
Cargo is essentially an in-car vending machine ー a box containing snacks and personal items for purchase installed on the center console of some Uber and Lyft vehicles. According to CEO Jeff Cripe, since so many riders were dividing their Uber and Lyft fares with Venmo, it made sense to make Venmo the payment option for their in-car purchases. Now, Venmo-happy millennials can purchase Cargo items through the app during their rides.
2019 is set to be a blockbuster year for tech IPOs. In preparation for the new year and all the public debuts it will bring, we're counting down the most likely and buzz-worthy candidates.
Not only has New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reversed his stance on marijuana, but he's also expediting his timeline for legalization. According to Joseph Spector, the Albany bureau chief for USA Today, the Cuomo committed to an accelerated schedule on Monday when he charted the agenda for his first 100 days in office.
WillCalled is the latest dating app on the block that is centered around events. Ken Madson and Lex Lipsitz, co-founders of WillCalled, joined Cheddar to discuss how it works and how it stands out from other popular apps like Bumble and Tinder.
Colin Kroll, the founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, was found dead in his New York City apartment on Sunday of a suspected drug overdose. He was 34. Kroll's HQ Trivia was called the future of mobile gaming, the future of game shows, even the future of TV. Before his death, there seemed nowhere to go but up.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether foreigners illegally funneled money to President Trump's inaugural committee to buy influence over American policy. Bomb threats emailed to multiple locations across the country deemed non-credible by the FBI. For the first time ever, the number of streaming shows has surpassed the number of basic cable and broadcast shows. From now until December 31st, users of the dating app Hinge can get a buy-one, get-one free meal at Chipotle to enjoy with their date.
