Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is ambiguous regarding commercial resource extraction and private property. Clear, enforceable international frameworks are needed to encourage private investment in off-world mining.
science-space
global-unspecified
private
mining
property
there
standardized
legal
framework
asteroid
rights
orbital
society-governance
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Micrometeorite punctures or radiation micro-cracking can cause catastrophic slow pressure leaks in space habitats. Elastomeric polymers embedded with self-healing microcapsules need to be validated in orbit.
science-space
global-unspecified
self-healing
space
lack
autonomous
materials
inflatable
habitat
walls
micrometeorite
punctures
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
systems
fully
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
UHECR particles carry millions of times more energy than Earth's particle accelerators can generate. Identifying their origins requires large space-based cosmic ray detection arrays scanning the atmosphere.
science-space
global-unspecified
cosmic
source
mechanisms
generating
ultra-high-energy
rays
uhecrs
unidentified
uhecr
particles
know
explain
ray
lack
high
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most legacy satellites lack standardized refueling ports or mechanical docking interfaces, forcing them to burn out unnecessarily. Universal commercial servicing ports and robotic grapple protocols must be adopted globally.
science-space
global-unspecified
servicing
refueling
in-orbit
standards
different
satellite
manufacturers
not
exist
ports
climate-environment
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Lava tubes offer natural radiation shielding for habitats, but traditional wheeled rovers cannot enter steep vertical entrances. Tethered, legged, or flying drone swarms designed for dark micro-gravity caves are needed.
health-biology
global-unspecified
sub-surface
cave
networks
mars
moon
difficult
map
explore
autonomously
lava
cannot
precisely
predict
hyper
science-space
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standard lithium-ion batteries lose efficiency and fail at sub-zero temperatures without dedicated thermal heaters. Development of solid-state or low-temperature tolerant electrolyte batteries is essential for planetary night survival.
science-space
global-unspecified
batteries
temperatures
lack
low-mass
high-capacity
suitable
extreme
cold
deep
space
climate-environment
haven
electric
recycling
solved
vehicle
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Understanding how life originally formed from non-living chemicals informs where to look for life across the galaxy. Laboratory synthetic prebiotic chemistry and planetary sample analyses are required to settle this debate.
science-space
global-unspecified
not
know
earth
abiogenesis
occurred
hydrothermal
vents
surface
volcanic
pools
life
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
don
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar-powered stratospheric drones designed for continuous Earth observation fail to survive long winter nights due to payload weight. Breakthrough high energy-density batteries and ultra-light solar wings are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
commercial
high-altitude
pseudo-satellites
haps
face
severe
battery
density
limitations
solar-powered
climate-environment
solar
high
efficiency
cells
radiation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Vitamins B and C degrade rapidly in packaged space foods, leaving long-haul Mars crews at risk of malnutrition. In-situ cellular agriculture and automated microbial nutrient synthesizers are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
current
food
systems
lose
nutritional
value
acceptability
years
storage
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
health-biology
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Beamed light sails intended for Alpha Centauri must reflect 99.999% of laser light to avoid vaporizing instantly under gigawatt power. Metamaterial reflector sails with ultra-low thermal absorption must be created.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
laser
thermal
sail
probes
aimed
interstellar
travel
suffer
severe
damage
quantum
must
safe
identity
low
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
ZBLAN optical fibers produced in space exhibit far lower light attenuation than Earth-made fibers, but manufacturing defect rates remain high. Microgravity fluid dynamics and draw-tower controls must be perfected.
science-space
global-unspecified
fibers
manufacturing
optical
microgravity
lack
precise
affordable
techniques
zero-defect
zblan
construction
housing
reducing
social-civic-problems
space
must
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar flares release massive kinetic and radiation energy, disrupting global High-Frequency radio and GPS signals. Micro-scale magnetic reconnection models are needed to predict flares hours before they burst.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
flares
solar
release
exact
physical
trigger
explosive
coronal
plasma
unconfirmed
science-space
haven
whether
fully
reliably
predict
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sterilization requirements to avoid contaminating Mars with Earth microbes make landers exceptionally expensive and slow to build. Advanced bio-decontamination standards and rapid cleanroom testing methods are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
mars
planetary
protection
protocols
hinder
robotic
exploration
potential
liquid
water
whether
philosophy-ethics
don
life
know
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Primary mirrors for space telescopes cannot exceed launch vehicle dimensions without complex, failure-prone mechanical folding. Dynamic fluidic mirrors and membrane optics created in orbit offer a promising alternative.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
deploying
large
optical
apertures
limited
rocket
payload
size
weight
philosophy-ethics
whether
earth
determine
agreed
lack
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Radiation-induced genetic mutations build up silently, increasing crew cancer risks on long space missions. Handheld micro-sequencers capable of real-time DNA/RNA error profiling are required in orbit.
science-space
global-unspecified
real-time
capable
dna
lack
biosensors
detecting
mutation
rates
astronauts
during
systems
real
time
society-governance
responding
predicting
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Miniaturized satellites often burn out early because standard thrusters are too large or heavy for 1U-6U form factors. Micro-electrospray and green propellant systems must be scaled up for commercial CubeSat fleets.
science-space
global-unspecified
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
capable
major
orbital
plane
changes
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
economics-resources
early
real
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Matter inside neutron stars is crushed beyond atomic densities into unknown states like quark-gluon plasma. Multi-messenger astronomy combining X-ray observatories and gravitational wave detectors is needed to probe these conditions.
science-space
global-unspecified
matter
inside
neutron
not
fully
understand
physical
state
star
cores
know
dark
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Surface landers face pressures of 90 atmospheres and temperatures near 460°C, melting silicon microelectronics. High-temperature silicon carbide electronics and mechanical computing landers are required.
health-biology
global-unspecified
surface
venus
atmospheric
probes
fail
hours
due
extreme
heat
corrosive
density
entry
atmosphere
high
science-space
urban
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Methane detected in Mars' atmosphere could indicate ongoing biological activity or sub-surface geological serpentinization. Isotopic measurement instruments with high sensitivity are needed to trace the true source.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
source
methane
mars
exact
seasonal
fluctuations
spikes
unexplained
detected
atmosphere
climate-environment
emissions
high
industrial
cannot
reliably
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Constellations operating near distant worlds cannot rely on continuous control from Earth operators. Distributed mesh networks and collision-avoidance algorithms operating autonomously across dozens of nodes must be developed.
science-space
global-unspecified
algorithms
lack
autonomous
decentralized
satellite
swarm
coordination
deep
space
operating
illegal
unreported
fishing
waters
near
planetary
