Seals have a unique superpower in their ears, and we finally know how it evolved

By James Patrick Rule, Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Ian G. Brennan, Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Biology, Australian National University
Travis Park, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Monash University

Have you ever tried to talk to someone while underwater? No matter how loud you might shout, it always sounds muffled. But why? As with many things in our bodies, the answer lies with evolution.

Humans evolved on land, and our ears are adapted to collect and interpret sound travelling through the air. Unfortunately, this makes our ears pretty much useless underwater.

Most mammals can either hear well only in air (dogs, humans) or water (whales). But there is one…

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