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.

A hot air balloon in the likeness of Yoda from Star Wars prepares for liftoff at the 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival at the former Clark US Air Force base in Pampanga Province, Philippines on February 9, 2017. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A man stands next to the body of a migrant child washed up on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016 after at least 37 migrants drowned when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reported. The migrants, who included those from Myanmar, Afghanistan and Syria, set sail from the Canakkale province to reach the nearby Greek island of Lesbos, Anatolia said. (Photo by Ozan Kose/AFP Photo)

Couples kiss during a kissing contest in Wuhan, Hubei province, November 23, 2014. Some 20 couples attended the contest and the winners have been awarded an iPhone 6, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Participants wear traditional clogs as shepherds lead their sheep through the center of Madrid, October 28, 2012. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/Associated Press)

Brittnai of El Paso, Texas, USA, performs in the Professional Division Competition during the 5th Annual US Pole Dance Championship on April 1, 2017 at the Symphony Space Theater in New York City. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo)

Riot security forces clash with demonstrators as a motorcycle is set on fire during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in San Cristobal, Venezuela May 29, 2017. (Photo by Carlos Eduardo Ramirez/Reuters)

Cosplayers attend the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London in London, Britain on October 28, 2022. (Photo by Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters)