Two McGovern neuroscientists settle the score on an auditory illusion that's breaking the internet.

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Yanny or Laurel?


Two McGovern neuroscientists settle the score on an auditory illusion that's breaking the internet.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

“Yanny” or “Laurel?” Discussion around this auditory version of “The Dress” has divided the internet this week.

In this video, brain and cognitive science PhD students Dana Boebinger and Kevin Sitek, both members of the McGovern Institute, unpack the science — and settle the debate. The upshot? Our brain is faced with a myriad of sensory cues that it must process and make sense of simultaneously. Hearing is no exception, and two brains can sometimes “translate” soundwaves in very different ways.