*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).
Kathryn Finney, founder of DigitalUndivided, wants to help minority entrepreneurs gain access to venture capital money for their start-ups.
Apple casts a long shadow, and that's never more apparent than after a new product launch. John Vinh, equity research analyst at KeyBanc, ticked off the companies that, as part of Apple's supply chain, stand to benefit from the latest iPhone launch.
Boutique fitness classes are taking on traditional gyms as the workout of choice for millennial fitness buffs. Sarah Larson Levey, founder of Y7, said that she initially started a new yoga studio to appeal to people like her who weren't feeling fulfilled in other yoga classes.
To get more television viewers, the Emmys, and all award shows for that matter, need to "honor the past" and get big names to show up and make people nostalgic, said Sean O'Connell, managing editor at Cinemablend. This year's ceremony takes place Monday night.
Robert Fairchild, star of the new stage-to-screen adaptation of "An American In Paris," tells Cheddar how revivals can work for audiences in a modern age.
The couple told Cheddar about how they balance screen time in their house, and why it's so important that they show their kids on social media.
Natural disasters, hurricanes especially, were once opportunities for administrations to flex their leadership and empathy muscles. When they failed (see: Bush, Katrina), the results were politically devastating. When they succeeded (see: Christie, Sandy), they launched runs for office. Those days appear to be over.
At its annual event in Cupertino, Calif., Apple announced three new iPhones and a new Apple Watch Series 4. With new features such as bigger screens and an EKG monitor on the watch, Apple hopes to reach audiences that may have not bought into the last edition of its products.
Hurricane Florence made a shift toward the southeast and is now likely to bring potentially catastrophic rain to a large swath of the southeast. Colin Hackman, a reporter and meteoroligist for WECT, reported for Cheddar from the North Carolina coast.
Diana Henriques, financial journalist and author, said that a decade after the financial crisis, the country is not even close to prepared for another economic collapse of similar magnitude or whatever could follow.
