Daisy

Lovelock's DaisyWorld & the Gaia Hypothesis

My logo is a DaisyWorld daisy.

DaisyWorld was invented by James Lovelock, to explain how the Gaia Hypothesis did not require a sentient Earth, but only feedback loops, for homeostasis. Life itself could maintain the planet fit for life - within limits. Which is a cool result. But like fractal mathematics, it means little without access to a simulator.

When I first began my CourseWare initiative at Yale University in 1997, I picked DaisyWorld as a proof of concept, for the more ambitious sort of online scientific simulators newly made possible by Java applet technology. Not only could we make the math an experience, but via the Web, save all the distribution and software updating and installation and cross-platform barriers to developing educational software. CourseWare made it possible to combine scientific research simulators, with a professor's teaching mission, at a cost affordable within grant budgets. But first I had to develop the base CourseWare toolkit. DaisyWorld was the vehicle for that development.

The Java versions of this software are from the dawn of interactive graphics on the Web, but they're still popular. The latest Flex version (for the Flash player) combines classic DaisyWorld with my DaisyBall variant, and shoots for a more general audience, rather than the university level science audience of the originals.

DaisyBall Flex

launch DaisyBall Flex

The latest incarnation of DaisyBall shoots for a general audience presentation - less focus on the mathematics, more on the concepts - with prettier graphics. Choice of DaisyWorld or DaisyBall logic (2D or 3D world). Easy access controls for high level concepts, but you can still set advanced parameters. Much easier to set albedos and number of daisy colors.

Original: 
October, 2010

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DaisyBall

launch DaisyBall

DaisyBall is my custom 3D variation on Lovelock's classic DaisyWorld, with multiple sites around a sphere. Each site is represented by a daisy. Different lattitudes receive different solar input. Daisy color shows the dominant daisy species at each site.

Original: 
January, 1998
Revised: 
November, 2008

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DaisyWorld

launch DaisyWorld

DaisyWorld is the classic model in 2D, demonstrating homeostasis via ecosystem feedback loops (daisy albedo). There is no spatial structure. The daisies indicate percent population at a single site.

Used in teaching "Intro to the Earth System" at UCLA, among other non-Yale courses.

Peter Schoch wrote a DaisyWorld Lab for teaching his community college Physics students (Thermodynamics, and Blackbody radiators). Thank you for sharing, Peter!

Original: 
January, 1998
Revised: 
November, 2008

Technologies:

Topics: