“Kids of Sapa”. Four little beautiful Hmong girls from Lao Chai Village, near Sapa, Vietnam. (Photo and caption by Felipe Hanower/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Once upon a time a myth was born that insects, unlike animals, are just a machines that not capable of learning and survive only based on their instincts. That myth has become the widespread opinion. Of course, this opinion is indeed erroneous, like many other widespread opinions. Let us try to find out which part is a myth and which part is true.

Indian girls in traditional attire pose for photographs as they practice the Garba, the traditional dance of Gujarat state, ahead of Navratri festival in Ahmadabad, India, Saturday, October 3, 2015. Navratri or nine night festival will begin on October 13. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)

Cast member, American actress Sydney Sweeney attends the premiere of Neon's “Immaculate” during Beyond Fest at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on March 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

“Misty Morning”. Every morning, people expect sunny weather. Photo location: Bali, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Henry Adam/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Icicles are seen on a handrail along the coast at Donggang business district in Dalian, Liaoning province, China on December 27, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

A woman inspects artwork by Iranian artist Farrokh Mahdavi during a preview of the National Gallery of Victoria's (NGV) Triennial 2023, an exhibition featuring work by over 120 contemporary artists, designers and collectives, in Melbourne on December 1, 2023. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

Hippo keeper Atthapon Nundee, 31, takes pictures of a two-month-old female pygmy hippo named “Moo Deng” who has recently become a viral internet sensation, at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, on September 16, 2024. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)