Yanny or Laurel? The dress. These two internet debates have sparked a lot of disagreement in previous years and it’s time to uncover the scientific explanation behind them.

A few years ago, “the dress” sparked a firestorm of debate. People saw the same picture of a dress as either blue and black or gold and white. In real life, the dress is actually black and white. It’s sold at Roman Originals, a British retailer, for 50 pounds. People see it differently because of color perception. Perception of color depends on how you interpret the amount of light in a room or scene. People who think that the dress is under a shadow will see the dress as gold and white because the brain removes the blue cast. On the other hand, people who think the dress is washed out in a bright light will perceive the dress as blue and black. What may have prevented the entire debate would be if someone had been wearing the dress. Dr. Tadin, a professor for the brain and cognitive sciences who works at University of Rochester, came up with a solution of his own; people may see the colors differently because there is a variation in the number of cones that can perceive blue in the retina. Those with more blue cones are more likely to see the dress as blue while people with fewer blue cones are likely to see white.

Yanny or Laurel is the more recent debate, and it doesn’t have as much explanation as “the dress”. To end the debate, the original audio clip is on vocabulary.com and it says “Laurel”. The person who recorded the clip recorded it through a speaker that distorted the sound and started the Yanny-Laurel debate. Because of the distortion, both “Yanny” and “Laurel” can be heard. “Yanny” is in a higher frequency and  “Laurel” is in lower frequency, but those two words are still there. Older people tend to hear “Laurel” because their ears aren’t very sharp and can’t hear higher frequencies. The exact reason why people hear it differently isn’t exactly known, but we can draw conclusions through scientific explanations.

To close both debates, “the dress” is blue and black, and the man is saying “Laurel”. The brain is strange and can create a lot of internet illusions, and that’s pretty cool!