*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).
Tesla's board of directors will reportedly hold a meeting next week with investors to discuss the possibility of taking the company private. The board may urge CEO Elon Musk to recuse himself from the talks.
Samsung showed off its new Galaxy Note 9 smartphone at its Samsung Unpacked event in New York Thursday. The Note 9 comes equipped with double the storage of any other smartphone on the market and a camera that automatically tells you if the picture is blurry.
And we're joined by actor Luke Evans, who is lending his voice to a new audio experience from Stella Artois. He talks about how he stays in the moment and cherishes his 'me time.'
The actor Luke Evans maintains a busy, year-round schedule shooting TV shows and movies around the world. But he tells Cheddar that he still finds time to meditate regularly and share glamour moments on Instagram. "I've learned how to make the most of being in the present," he says.
In an election year when a record number of women are running for Congress, one of New York's two Democratic Senators says women voices ー and their votes ー "couldn't be more important." Senator Gillibrand also told Cheddar's Hope King that women should lead the opposition to Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.
These are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, Aug. 10.
The gamer communications hub, with 150 million users, will sell indie titles curated by its staff in a new online storefront. "We have a lot of people here that love playing games and have really great taste, and so we're gonna pick out stuff we think is worth your time," says CEO Jason Citron.
By reserving an Oscar for blockbusters, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making an artificial distinction that misses what's special about many movies, says Entertainment Weekly's Jessica Derschowitz. "Good movies can be popular, popular movies can be good," she says.
The New York City Council has pumped the brakes on ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft. However, Uber drivers like Aziz Bah are celebrating the cap and the new minimum wage rate for drivers.
Roku is offering online and OTT viewers of its own channel fewer ads than linear TV, says Rob Holmes, the vice president of programming and engagement. The platform will also have "Featured Free" content from partners including ABC, Fox, and the CW.
Music mogul Wyclef Jean wants to be the first rapper to innovate a hip-hop guitar. Jean looks to Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine as music innovators, and hopes to mirror their technical success in the industry.
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
