A woman sells statues of the Ekeko, god of fortune, at the traditional “Alasitas” fair in La Paz January 24, 2015. During the fair, Bolivians buy miniature versions of goods like cars, money and houses they would like to own in real life during the year. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

People play with foam at a water park in Yantai, Shandong province, China June 16, 2107. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A Mongolian Shamaness or Buu, beats her drum while taking part with others in a fire ritual meant to summon spirits to mark the period of the Summer Solstice in the grasslands on June 22, 2018 outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Banned for 70 years under Communist rule, shamanism has seen a resurgence in Mongolia since 1992, when the ancient practice became protected by the country's Constitution. Known as Tengrism, in which Shamans channel ancestral spirits, it is widely regarded as Mongolia's national religion and part of its indigenous identity. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

As cheap Chinese-made motorbikes flood Pakistan’s roads, fans of vintage Vespa scooters are scrambling to find spare parts and preserve models that hark back to a bygone era. Here: A restored Vespa scooter painted in Pakistani truck art style, is parked alongside traditionally-coloured scooters at a Vespa restoration and repair workshop in Islamabad, Pakistan February 27, 2018. (Photo by Caren Firouz/Reuters)

Polar frame, by Dmitry Kokh, Russia. When Kokh’s boat approached the small island of Kolyuchin in the Russian High Arctic, which had been abandoned by humans since 1992, he was surprised to spot movement in one of the houses. Binoculars revealed polar bears – more than 20 in total – exploring the ghost town. Dmitry used a low-noise drone to document them. (Photo by Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022)

Midnight at the Palace, at Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House during Edinburgh fringe 2025 in the first decade of August 2025. (Photo by Damian Robertson/The Guardian)

A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government fires a shell with Soviet made T-55 tank at Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, August 2, 2016. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

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.