Wiggling ears!
Did you know some people can wiggle their ears? It looks like a cool trick, but ears do more than you think!
A long time ago, humans had stronger ear muscles, just like dogs and cats. Have you ever seen a dog move its ears when it hears something exciting, like "Want a treat?"
Animals move their ears to hear better. People lost this skill millions of years ago. But guess what? Scientists discovered that a small ear muscle still works when we listen carefully!
How did the researchers figure this out?
Scientists wanted to know more about ear muscles. They asked 20 people to listen to an audiobook while a podcast played in the background. The podcast got louder and louder, making it harder to hear the audiobook.
To study ear muscles, scientists put tiny electrodes near the ears. When people tried hard to listen, their ear muscles reacted—even though they didn’t move their ears!
Now, scientists want to study more people. This could help make better hearing aids. The idea is to use ear muscle movements to help people with hearing problems hear more clearly.
So, even if you can’t wiggle your ears, your muscles are still doing a secret job! Pretty cool, right?
