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
Permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles reach -240°C, making metals and polymers brittle and prone to shattering. Special cryogenic-resistant alloys and thermal insulation jackets are required.
society-governance
global-unspecified
lunar
reach
permanent
night
regions
near
absolute
zero
causing
severe
industrial
scale
propellant
structural
long
lack
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Thickening Mars' atmosphere or cooling Venus requires releasing greenhouse gases or solar shades on a planetary scale. Advanced bio-engineered extremophiles or orbital mirror swarms must be modeled and tested.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
proven
operational
mechanism
planetary-scale
atmospheric
terraforming
thickening
mars
atmosphere
science-space
lack
planetary
high
solar
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Traditional star trackers struggle when solar glare or local dust plumes obstruct sensor fields during maneuvers. Pulsar-based navigation systems utilizing ultra-precise atomic X-ray timing signals are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
navigation
deep-space
optical
loses
accuracy
spacecraft
travel
far
recognizable
stars
space
timing
secure
based
after
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Earth's shifting atmosphere blurs astronomical imagery, requiring expensive adaptive optics systems with limited fields of view. Next-generation artificial laser guide star arrays and photonic lanterns are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
ground-based
telescopes
suffer
atmospheric
turbulence
limits
angular
resolution
earth
shifting
high
density
entry
atmosphere
ground
optical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chemical lithium-hydroxide canisters are consumable, heavy, and wasteful for multi-year missions. Algae photo-bioreactors capable of converting human exhaled CO2 directly into oxygen and edible protein are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
human
lack
closed-loop
biological
carbon
dioxide
scrubbers
spacecraft
cabins
chemical
society-governance
solutions
long
mathematics-logic
science-space
term
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Mars (0.38g) and the Moon (0.16g) have partial gravity levels whose long-term impact on embryo development is completely unknown. Ground-based and orbital partial-gravity mammalian centrifuges are required.
society-governance
global-unspecified
mammalian
development
partial
gravity
not
know
gestation
safely
occur
mars
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
fully
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The boom in commercial satellite constellations on Earth causes RF noise that bleeds into planetary science frequency bands. Strict international spectrum carving and transition to optical laser links are necessary.
science-space
global-unspecified
frequency
spectrum
bands
radio
congestion
threatens
deep
space
telemetry
transmission
optical
laser
satellite
high
lack
communication
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar glare blinds optical ground survey telescopes, leaving blind spots where dangerous asteroids can approach unnoticed. Space-based infrared observatories placed at Lagrange point L1 are required for solar-side scanning.
science-space
global-unspecified
asteroids
cannot
easily
detect
dark
metallic
near-earth
approaching
direction
sun
local-regional
yet
health-biology
technology-computing
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Without gravity, liquid fuels float randomly inside tanks, causing air bubbles to enter fuel pumps during orbital refilling. Scalable fluid-settling systems and bladderless zero-g fuel transfer ports must be built.
science-space
global-unspecified
transfer
in-orbit
propellant
between
moving
spacecraft
microgravity
unstable
fuel
gravity
haven
whether
climate-environment
make
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Energetic protons and electrons in Earth's Van Allen belts degrade standard solar panel efficiency over time. Radiation-hardened perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells are needed to maintain high power-to-weight ratios.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
cells
lack
ultra-lightweight
high-efficiency
resistant
orbital
radiation
degradation
energetic
science-space
whether
power
haven
small
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The solar wind strips away atmospheres from unmagnetized planets like Mars, but how it reaches supersonic speeds is unclear. Close-orbit solar probes and plasma simulations are needed to resolve acceleration dynamics.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
wind
plasma
mechanism
accelerates
millions
remains
unverified
strips
away
whether
haven
philosophy-ethics
science-space
small
energy
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Pressurized gloves force astronauts to constantly fight suit resistance, leading to fingernail loss and severe hand fatigue. Robotic assistance exoskeletons or active pressure-sensing glove joints are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
suit
gloves
hand
current
space
restrict
dexterity
cause
physical
trauma
work
haven
developed
spacesuit
lets
astronauts
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cosmic strings are theoretical linear defects in space-time that could explain early cosmic structure formation. Advanced gravitational lensing networks are required to detect their unique space-bending signatures.
science-space
global-unspecified
cosmic
strings
defects
have
direct
observational
images
primal
topological
theoretical
know
remain
explain
matter
dark
ray
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Frequent commercial launches risk disrupting the ozone layer and altering upper-atmosphere global thermal dynamics. Clean-burning propellants like methalox or hydrogen-based engines must be evaluated for environmental impact.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
launches
high-altitude
rocket
deposit
light-absorbing
black
carbon
directly
stratosphere
frequent
frequency
hole
cannot
science-space
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Capturing dead satellites or space debris requires catching uncontrolled objects without causing collision fragments. Advanced computer vision, robotic capture arms, and net-based soft capture systems are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
objects
autonomous
docking
between
non-cooperative
tumbling
remains
high
risk
systems
society-governance
designs
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Converting Mars' 95% CO2 atmosphere into plastics, methane, and industrial reagents requires complex catalysts that foul quickly. High-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis systems optimized for dirty ambient gas are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
industrial
cannot
reliably
synthesize
high-purity
chemicals
martian
atmospheric
carbon
dioxide
methane
systems
society-governance
fast
growing
high
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As microchips shrink, energetic cosmic particles flip memory bits more frequently, freezing flight computers. Ultra-reliable fault-tolerant voting architectures and magnetic RAM must be deployed across satellite buses.
science-space
global-unspecified
cosmic
satellite
ray
impacts
trigger
single-event
upsets
orbit
causing
catastrophic
galactic
shielding
society-governance
source
energy
yet
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Asteroids range from solid iron rocks to loose rubble piles, making landing or kinetic deflection unpredictable. In-situ seismic characterization and robotic surface sampling missions are needed across asteroid types.
local-regional
global-unspecified
asteroids
lack
precise
knowledge
mechanical
strength
internal
cohesion
small
range
science-space
displacement
tracking
responding
health-biology
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Closed space station biomes combined with radiation select for rapid bacterial mutation, risking astronaut health. Autonomous metagenomic sequencing systems must continuously monitor station surfaces for bio-threats.
science-space
global-unspecified
drug-resistant
station
monitor
space
cannot
long-term
microbial
mutations
yield
multi-drug
resistant
systems
support
missions
medical
psychological
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Commercial point-to-point rocket or scramjet transit is limited to ocean routes due to severe atmospheric shockwaves. Low-boom aerodynamic shaping and active acoustic damping technologies must be developed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
sub-orbital
hypersonic
passenger
vehicles
cause
extreme
noise
pollution
sonic
booms
preventing
automated
economics-resources
urban
major
ocean
