Humans have muscles in our ears called vestigial auricular muscles. These muscles were once used by our ancestors to move their ears for better hearing. Though they are no longer functional for ear movement, new research suggests these muscles still play a role in focused listening, particularly in noisy environments.

Speech is a fundamental part of human communication, yet the way our brain processes it—especially in noisy environments—remains a complex mystery. A recently funded study at the University of Rochester aims to understand how the brain integrates visual speech cues with auditory signals.