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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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current treatments for multiple sclerosis can reduce the frequency and severity of flare-ups but can't stop or reverse the underlying immune attack on the nervous system. A true cure remains an unmet goal after decades of research.
health-biology
global-unspecified
cure
multiple
sclerosis
yet
only
slow
its
progression
current
treatments
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
don
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, contributes to frailty and falls in older adults, and current treatments rely mainly on exercise and diet rather than addressing the underlying biological decline. A more direct medical solution remains undeveloped.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
muscle
loss
haven
found
way
prevent
comes
aging
age-related
known
whether
philosophy-ethics
health-biology
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Existing treatments for hair loss can slow the process for some people but rarely reverse it completely, and the underlying biology of hair follicle loss isn't fully understood. A true prevention or reversal method remains undiscovered.
health-biology
global-unspecified
hair
loss
don
have
effective
way
prevent
caused
genetic
hormonal
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fertility treatments like IVF help many people conceive, but success rates still drop significantly with age due to biological factors that current medicine can't fully reverse. Understanding and addressing this decline remains incomplete.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
fertility
age
current
treatments
haven
solved
declines
ways
only
partially
whether
philosophy-ethics
health-biology
resolved
determine
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Lung cancer screening guidelines are generally built around smoking history, but a meaningful share of cases occur in people who never smoked at all and often go undetected until later stages. Better screening approaches for this group remain underdeveloped.
health-biology
global-unspecified
lung
cancer
people
never
smoked
don
have
scalable
way
detect
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Africa
Emerging gene therapies show promise but remain extremely expensive and inaccessible to the vast majority of people living with sickle cell disease worldwide, especially in Africa where it's most common. Making a real cure affordable and available remains unsolved.
health-biology
africa
global-unspecified
cure
sickle
cell
disease
available
don
have
scalable
patients
need
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Conditions like long COVID and chronic Lyme disease affect some patients severely while others recover fully from the same initial infection. Understanding this difference could unlock treatments for currently unexplained chronic illness.
health-biology
global-unspecified
chronic
some
illness
others
haven
solved
infections
turn
long-term
certain
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
With finite budgets and staff, agencies inevitably choose which laws to prioritize enforcing, but this decision-making is often informal and opaque rather than publicly explained. This can lead to uneven, seemingly arbitrary enforcement.
society-governance
global-unspecified
laws
governments
lack
formal
transparent
process
deciding
actually
enforce
given
social-civic-problems
resources
whether
philosophy-ethics
african
public
open
United States, North America
Public spending or contract data is sometimes released in formats so disorganized or incomplete that meaningful analysis by journalists or citizens becomes impractical. True transparency requires usable data, not just published data.
society-governance
north-america
united-states
data
transparency
public
government
portals
countries
publish
technically
but
nearly
global-unspecified
systems
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Conflict of interest rules exist in many places but are inconsistently enforced, letting officials benefit financially from decisions they themselves make. Stronger, consistently enforced rules remain missing in a large share of governments worldwide.
society-governance
global-unspecified
officials
there
reliable
way
prevent
government
public
office
personal
financial
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
have
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
International bodies can investigate and condemn abuses, but enforcement mechanisms are weak, especially against powerful countries that can block action through alliances or veto power. This leaves accountability inconsistent and often politically selective.
society-governance
global-unspecified
there
reliable
system
holding
governments
accountable
mass
human
rights
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
have
haven
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Analysts sometimes identify a brewing conflict years in advance, but international bodies frequently lack the money or mandate to intervene before violence breaks out. This turns prevention into reaction after the fact.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
conflict
lack
institutions
meant
prevent
often
funding
needed
actually
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
early
systems
african
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People who qualify for visas or residency under existing rules can still wait years due to processing backlogs and understaffed agencies. This delay affects not just applicants but the families and employers depending on them.
society-governance
global-unspecified
applicants
years
delay
immigration
systems
wealthy
countries
complex
enough
even
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
mathematics-logic
lack
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Surveillance capabilities have expanded rapidly, but the oversight meant to prevent abuse often lags behind, staffed by bodies with limited authority or access. This leaves citizens with little real assurance surveillance powers aren't being misused.
society-governance
global-unspecified
surveillance
oversight
bodies
real
countries
lack
independent
power
review
government
without
mass
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Zoning, housing, and infrastructure decisions are sometimes controlled by higher levels of government that move far slower than the pace of local growth. This mismatch leaves cities struggling to manage problems they can see coming but can't legally address.
society-governance
global-unspecified
manage
growth
city
governments
fast-growing
regions
often
lack
legal
authority
african
cities
urban
climate-environment
whether
infrastructure
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Citizens are often legally entitled to request government records, but agencies can slow-walk or deny these requests with few real consequences. This makes transparency laws look stronger on paper than they are in practice.
society-governance
global-unspecified
laws
but
practice
freedom
information
exist
countries
routinely
ignored
delayed
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
determine
resolved
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The UN handles war and peace, the WTO handles trade, and the WHO handles pandemics, but none of them were built with today's cross-cutting crises in mind. This leaves gaps where no institution has a clear mandate at all.
health-biology
global-unspecified
built
war
were
pandemics
handles
institutions
world
not
designed
society-governance
public
governance
designing
creating
building
democratic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many global bodies depend heavily on voluntary contributions rather than fixed dues, letting big funders push their own priorities ahead of the institution's broader mission. This undermines the independence these institutions are supposed to have.
society-governance
global-unspecified
priorities
institutions
wealthy
donor
countries
quietly
steer
international
targeted
funding
conflict
public
post
whether
philosophy-ethics
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Volunteer-collected data can expand research at a scale professional scientists alone couldn't achieve, but ensuring its accuracy and consistency remains an unresolved challenge for researchers who want to use it.
society-governance
global-unspecified
research
haven
solved
make
citizen
science
projects
reliable
enough
serious
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
New technologies have always displaced some jobs while creating others, but there's no agreed threshold for how much short-term harm is an acceptable cost of long-term progress.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
progress
haven
found
shared
answer
technological
unemployment
society
willing
accept
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic