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
Food allergies have been rising for reasons researchers still can't fully explain, and existing treatments mostly manage symptoms after exposure rather than removing the risk entirely. A true prevention or cure remains elusive.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fully
don
understand
some
people
develop
severe
allergic
reactions
foods
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
haven
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ovarian cancer is often called a silent disease because symptoms don't appear until it has advanced significantly. Early detection tools remain far behind those available for other common cancers.
health-biology
global-unspecified
ovarian
cancer
early
haven
developed
reliable
way
detect
treatable
often
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
don
resolved
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fatty liver disease and cirrhosis often progress silently until liver function is severely compromised, leaving transplant as the only real option for many patients. A way to reverse earlier-stage liver damage could prevent countless transplants.
health-biology
global-unspecified
liver
reverse
damage
disease
transplant
yet
caused
chronic
requires
fatty
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
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
Pancreatic cancer often shows no clear symptoms until it has already spread, making it one of the deadliest common cancers. An affordable early screening method could dramatically improve survival rates.
health-biology
global-unspecified
pancreatic
cancer
early
haven
found
way
detect
enough
treat
successfully
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Bacteria evolve resistance faster than new antibiotics are being developed and approved, creating a widening treatment gap. Without new approaches, once-treatable infections could become far deadlier again.
health-biology
global-unspecified
new
infections
yet
stop
rise
antibiotic-resistant
drug
development
alone
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
papua
mathematics-logic
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Millions of people live with persistent, disabling fatigue that doctors struggle to diagnose clearly or treat effectively. The underlying biology remains poorly understood despite decades of patient reports.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fatigue
don
have
reliable
cure
chronic
syndrome
millions
people
live
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
agreed
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
Patients often go through months of chemotherapy or other treatments before doctors learn whether it's actually working for their specific cancer. Better predictive tools could spare patients ineffective treatment and its side effects.
health-biology
global-unspecified
cancer
treatment
reliably
predict
will
respond
well
given
trying
patients
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
way
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The immune system destroys insulin-producing cells for reasons we don't fully understand, forcing patients into decades of careful daily management. A real cure would end this instead of just controlling it.
health-biology
global-unspecified
don
cure
management
have
type
diabetes
only
lifelong
insulin
immune
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
agreed
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
Global / Unspecified, Global
When a regulator fails to catch a problem, like an unsafe product or a financial scandal, there's often no clear path for citizens to hold the regulator itself accountable for that failure. This leaves oversight bodies with limited pressure to actually improve.
society-governance
global-unspecified
there
citizens
hold
accountable
reliable
process
governance
systems
regulators
regulatory
public
philosophy-ethics
whether
oversight
migration
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Promises made to public workers decades ago about retirement benefits sometimes weren't matched with enough funding set aside to actually cover them. This leaves future governments facing financial strain that current officials often avoid addressing.
society-governance
global-unspecified
public
future
government
pension
systems
employees
countries
underfunded
relative
obligations
real
time
philosophy-ethics
whether
technology-computing
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Journalists investigating government wrongdoing in many countries face harassment, legal threats, or violence with limited international protection or recourse. Stronger, coordinated protections remain largely aspirational rather than actively enforced.
society-governance
global-unspecified
international
journalists
there
consistent
mechanism
protecting
report
corruption
own
governments
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some former officials effectively become immune to prosecution once they leave power, either through legal loopholes or political reluctance to pursue former leaders. This can weaken accountability for abuses of power at the very top.
society-governance
global-unspecified
former
legal
leaders
countries
lack
clear
process
holding
accountable
actions
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
have
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Software that predicts where crime might occur or who might commit it is being adopted by police departments with little independent oversight of its accuracy or fairness. This leaves significant power in tools that haven't been thoroughly vetted for bias.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
tools
there
widely
accepted
framework
governments
regulate
own
predictive
policing
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
haven
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If a significant cyberattack disabled core government systems, many countries lack a clearly rehearsed plan for maintaining basic governance functions during the recovery period. This leaves a critical vulnerability largely unaddressed until it's actually tested.
society-governance
global-unspecified
governance
systems
lack
plan
cyberattack
clear
govern
aftermath
major
public
technology-computing
whether
during
climate-environment
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When judges' careers, safety, or institutional funding depend on staying in the government's good graces, their ability to rule impartially against powerful officials can be compromised. Protecting judicial independence from this kind of pressure remains an ongoing struggle.
society-governance
global-unspecified
pressure
ability
rule
against
government
constitutional
courts
some
countries
face
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
local
improving
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Government budgets are often published as static yearly documents rather than something citizens can track as spending actually happens. Real-time transparency into public spending remains rare rather than standard.
society-governance
global-unspecified
citizens
actually
there
consistent
way
know
taxes
being
spent
real
public
philosophy-ethics
whether
time
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Agencies tasked with overseeing complex fields like AI or cybersecurity sometimes have few employees who deeply understand the technology they're regulating. This expertise gap can lead to rules that are either too vague or poorly targeted.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
agencies
technology
expertise
government
dealing
regulation
often
lack
staff
real
philosophy-ethics
whether
society-governance
haven
african
