Even though you probably don’t realise it, your ears try to move when you’re really trying to listen to something! Scientists in Germany did a study and found that tiny muscles in our ears twitch when we’re concentrating on a sound, especially if it’s hard to hear.
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It’s like your ears are trying to point towards the sound to hear it better, just like animals do! Previously, scientists thought the muscle used to wiggle your ears was essentially useless. The scientists think this is because way, way back in time, our ancestors could actually move their ears to focus on sounds. But over millions of years, we lost that ability.
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However, the brain signals that tell our ears to move are still there! The lead scientist called it a “neural fossil”, like a leftover bit of our ancient brains. To prove this, they played audiobooks to a group of adults, and the scientists made the task easier or harder by playing podcasts at the same time. The team found that the ear muscles were more active when people had to work harder to listen. Even though most people can’t wiggle their ears on purpose, the study shows our brains still remember how to try! It’s like a secret superpower your ears have, even if you don’t know it!
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