Wiggling ears may have once helped us hear

Ancient ear-wiggling muscles kick on when people strain to hear. That auricular activity, described January 30 in Frontiers in Neuroscience, probably doesn’t do much, if anything. But these small muscles are at least present, and more active than anyone knew.

You’ve probably seen a cat or dog swing their ears toward a sound, like satellite dishes orienting to a signal. We can’t move our relatively rigid human ears this dramatically. And yet, humans still possess ear-moving muscles, as those of us who can wiggle our ears on demand know.

.email-conversion { border: 1px solid #ffcccb; color: white; margin-top: 50px; background-image: url(“/wp-content/themes/sciencenews/client/src/images/[email protected]”); padding: 20px; clear: both;

Related News

The Buffalo Bills’ new stadium has some seats with obstructed views. What’s worse are the ticket prices

The obsession with ‘Mamdani marts’ isn’t about groceries

Your Team Will Only Listen to You If You Make Them Feel Seen, Heard and Valued. Here’s How to Do It.

How Data Centers Broke American Politics

The SpaceX Falcon Lunar Crash Is a Warning for Moon Bases

A new monkey species has been found deep in Congo’s forests