“The exact reason these became vestigial is difficult to tell, as our ancestors lost this ability about 25 million years ago,” Schröeer said. “One possible explanation could be that the evolutionary ...

The auricular muscles, which enabled our distant ancestors to move their ears for better hearing, activate when people try to ...

"There are three large muscles which connect the auricle to the skull and scalp and are important for ear wiggling," explained Andreas Schröer of Saarland University, first author of the study in ...

Tens of millions of years ago, our primate ancestors responded to noises in much the same way many other mammals do, pricking their ears and deftly turning them towards the sound's source.