A muscle that 'perks' the ear could hold clues to make better hearing aids Vestigial human ear muscles react to sounds even if the external ear does not move.

The auricular muscles helped change the shape of the shell–or pinna–of the ear and helped humans living millions of years ago listen closely. They are still used by roughly 10 to 20 percent of ...

Humans actually have vestigial muscles that activate when listening closely to something, even though people lost the ability to really move their ears about 25 million years ago. Your ears can't ...

Tympanectomy, a procedure that detaches the muscles from the middle ear, can provide relief for some people. On March 21, 2022, ...

The little muscles that enable people to wiggle their ears unconsciously flex when we're trying to pick one sound out of a din of noise, a new study finds. Think about how cats, dogs and certain ...

The TT muscle tightens, or contracts, after you hear a very loud sound. This contraction muffles the loud sounds, produces a low rumble, and can protect the inner ear from damage.

Previous explanations of middle ear muscle activity have only considered possible acoustic functions1–4. However, in waking, unrestrained cats, ...

Human ears can’t prick up, but the vestigial ear muscles sure try Humans actually have vestigial muscles that activate when listening closely to something, even though people lost the ability to ...

Humans actually have vestigial muscles that activate when listening closely to something, even though people lost the ability to really move their ears about 25 million years ago.