Getting her tongue pierced was “exciting and scary” says a teen who succumbed to pressure from her best friend in Austin, Texas, February 22, 2008. This image is featured in National Geographic's exhibition “Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment”, on view at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, Jan. 22 - Mar. 22, 2015. (Photo by Kitra Cahana/National Geographic)

Director Pawel Pawlikowski holds his Oscar for best foreign language film for “Ida”, with presenters Chiwetel Ejiofor (L) and Nicole Kidman during the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2015. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Juan Carlos Vilchez, 18-months-old, dressed to represent horror movie icon Chucky, looks into a storefront mall window, in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday, October 31, 2014. Juan Carlos is wearing a first place winner that he won earlier, for best Halloween costume in his age group. (Photo by Esteban Felix/AP Photo)

Three children receive “best Christmas present ever” bionic arms in Bristol, England in the second decade of December 2024. Colette Baker, Finley Jarvis and Zoey Pidgeon-Hampton with their new Open Bionics arms. (Photo by Tom Wren/SWNS)

A woman poses for a photo in front of an installation to promote the film “Godzilla Minus One”, which won the Oscar for best visual effects at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, outside a popular shopping centre and official development in the Hibiya area of Tokyo on March 11, 2024. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks/AFP Photo)

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 mother bear acting as a taxi for her cubs and they jump on for a piggyback. Two sloth bear cubs fighting for the best place on mum's back as she carries them across Coonoor, India in July 2022. (Photo by Ranganathan Vasudevan/Media Drum Images)