"Superorganism" Ant Colonies as Compared to Cells

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219092819.htm
       
       This article I read pertains to the energy efficiency of large ant colonies as opposed to smaller ones and even the individual ants themselves. Scientists at Missouri State University of Science and Technology are able to use this metabolic rate of the large colonies, or "superorganism", as well as their growth rate, reproduction rate, and longevity of individuals lives compared within the colony. They are using mathematical formulas and energy scaling laws that are beyond me. But what made it most understandable and relatable was that the author of the article compares this "superorganism" to cells in an organism.
       Our cells are most effective when they are working together rather than individually, just like the ants. Just as a horse and mouse do not use proportionately equal amounts of energy (the exact law is body mass to the 3/4 power), the cells within the animals do not either and it goes the same for ants of larger colonies than smaller ones. The cells of the horse actually use less energy than those of the mouse cells because they're apart of a bigger cell "colony". It makes a lot of sense to say that the bigger the "superorganism" that an individual is a part of, the less energy consumed per individual. This is exactly what scientists are now realizing and are also using this knowledge to determine that these colonies actually have a longer lifespan. For instance, if one cell dies in an organism of 10 cells compared to a cell death in an 1000 cell organism, their would be less impact on the community because the cell wasn't as crucial. This goes the same for the ant colonies being studied; the larger the colony, the longer the lifespan and less energy being produced.
    The realization came about at first in a 2010 study in which the idea of a "superorganism" was introduced. Since then, it has led these other discoveries pertaining ants and cells and also leaves many hopes for future plans. The energy scaling laws could be used to study animal's energy uptake and particularly, food restrictions necessary to expand their lifespan. For humans, the idea can be used to determine the energy efficiency of cities (the larger the city, the more energy efficient). Overall, this "superorganism" concept with ants in which their energy efficiency and lifespan is determined by their size as a whole can, and will, lead to many other circumstances down the road! Most importantly, it is interesting to see how this ties in with cells and their importance in organisms.