Among the fish populations that could be harmed by the Xayaburi dam in Laos is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s largest freshwater fish. The fish, which grows to 650 pounds and about 10 feet long, is only found in the Mekong River. It is migratory, moving between downstream habitats in Cambodia upstream to northern Thailand and Laos each year to spawn. Some experts fear the Xayaburi dam could block the migration and drive the giant catfish to extinction. (Photo by Courtesy of Zeb Hogan/University of Nevada, Reno)

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.

In this Sunday, May 29, 2016 photo, fighters take a selfie while firing artillery during fight against Islamic State militants in Fallujah, Iraq. Iraqi forces this week pushed into the city's southern sections after securing surrounding towns and villages more than 50,000 people are believed to be trapped inside the Sunni majority city, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad. (Photo by Anmar Khalil/AP Photo)

Emily Ratajkowski and Vanessa Hudgens attend the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 09, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

People look at “The Fall” sculpture by Steve Cramb on display between Bondi and Tamarama beach as part of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney on October 21, 2022. (Photo by Muhammad Farooq/AFP Photo)

Denver Nuggets dance team performs in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets Sunday, December 18, 2022, in Denver. (Photo by David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

A rose chafer in Oxfordshire, UK on July 8, 2024. The beetles are often seen on flowers in the garden and are sometimes maligned for munching their way through these plants. However, they are an important detritivore as they feed on dead and decaying matter and recycle its nutrients, which makes a helpful addition to any compost. (Photo by Geoffrey Swaine/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

In this Saturday, May 7, 2016 photo, Afghan refugee Shazia Lutfi, 19, peeks through the door of her room at the former prison of De Koepel in Haarlem, Netherlands. The government has let Belgium and Norway put prisoners in its empty cells and now, amid the huge flow of migrants into Europe, several Dutch prisons have been temporarily pressed into service as asylum seeker centers. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)