Your ears can't prick up, but your ear muscles sure try

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.

Feb 3, 2025 - 06:18
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Your ears can't prick up, but your ear muscles sure try
In almost every species, ear movement can be a clue that the animal is trying to pay close attention to something.

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.

(Image credit: ChristopherBernard/Getty Images)