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.

Queen of drums, Sabrina Sato of Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school during the Champions Parade on the last day of Rio de Janeiro 2022 Carnival at Marques de Sapucai Sambadrome on May 01, 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's iconic carnival returns to the sambodrome after a two year suspension and postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

A member of the samba school of the Grupo Especial Academicos do Grande Rio parade during the Carnival celebration at the Marques de Sapucai sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early 04 March 2019. The samba schools of the Rio de Janeiro Special Groups began their parades on 03 March at the sambadrome, considered the main attraction of the carnival in Brazil. (Photo by Marcelo Chello/EPA/EFE)

A girl with a ritual garland headdress smiles during a traditional Midsummer Night celebration, in the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2020. Ukrainian girls believe the ages-old ceremony would help them to find their true love partners, as the pagan Slav festival is still celebrated in Ukraine, as Kyiv has lifted the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

An American robin feeds on holly berries in a thicket near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on November 16, 2024. Many birds can safely consume holly berries, including blackbirds, redwings, and thrushes. There is an old wives tale that if you see a bird eating a berry, it is safe for humans to eat, but this is not true. Birds consume many plants that are poisonous to humans, holly berries included. (Photo by Robin Loznak/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Instructor Raquel Potí leads a stilt walking workshop at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, January 27, 2024. Potí is chiefly responsible for the explosion of stilt walking in Rio, having trained more than 1,000 kids and adults over the past decade. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

Dancers audition for a post as cheerleaders of the Miami Dolphins, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, March 3, 2016. Brazilian dancers audition in the first international cheerleader recruitment for the Miami Dolphins in Rio de Janeiro. The Dolphins will also hold auditions in Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and South of Florida. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo)

Wearing a protective mask to curb the spread of the new coronavirus a man attends a memorial for those who have died from COVID-19 worldwide, at Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)