The notion of a super-organism has been around for a while but was kind of a fringe theory for a while. But ants have a much more sophisticated system of communication than previously thought, and their behavior places absolutely no value on individual survival at all. Most organisms demonstrate at least some instinct for self-preservation but ants don’t show any sign of that. What they do show is level of cooperation that is unrivaled in by any other species. So if they communicate as a network, demonstrate zero individual interest and are motivated solely by what benefits the group, could a colony actually be considered a single organism?
