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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chronic pelvic pain often has no clearly identifiable cause even after extensive testing, leaving many patients with limited treatment options. A deeper understanding of its underlying causes remains needed.
health-biology
global-unspecified
chronic
pelvic
pain
patients
yet
fully
explain
treat
large
share
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cervical cancer remains highly preventable through regular screening, but many women in lower-resource regions lack consistent access to the tests that catch it early. Closing this access gap could prevent large numbers of otherwise preventable deaths.
health-biology
global-unspecified
access
cervical
cancer
regions
regular
don
have
scalable
way
screen
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many people with chronic insomnia end up relying on sleep medication for years, since non-drug treatments don't work consistently for everyone. A more effective, sustainable solution remains an open need.
health-biology
global-unspecified
chronic
insomnia
medication
haven
found
reliable
way
treat
long-term
reliance
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
don
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even with modern reproductive technology, a significant share of infertility cases have no clear cause and don't respond well to existing treatments. Understanding these unexplained cases remains a major gap in reproductive medicine.
health-biology
global-unspecified
don
have
infertility
respond
treatments
cure
forms
standard
reproductive
cases
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Patients on dialysis often endure hours of treatment multiple times a week indefinitely, significantly affecting their quality of life. A better long-term solution, beyond transplant, remains an unmet need.
health-biology
global-unspecified
dialysis
long-term
patients
haven
solved
make
less
physically
emotionally
burdensome
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Diabetes can lead to serious complications like blindness, kidney failure, or amputation, but predicting which patients are most at risk early enough to intervene remains imprecise. Better prediction could allow more targeted, effective prevention.
health-biology
global-unspecified
patients
complications
diabetes
yet
reliably
predict
will
develop
severe
years
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
way
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Effective vaccines exist for a small number of sexually transmitted infections, but many common ones still have no vaccine available at all. Expanding vaccine coverage here could significantly reduce global disease burden.
health-biology
global-unspecified
vaccine
have
effective
sexually
transmitted
infections
don
against
beyond
few
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This gut infection frequently returns after treatment, partly because antibiotics disrupt the broader gut microbiome that would normally help prevent it. Better prevention of recurrence remains an unresolved clinical challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
prevent
recurrence
treatment
haven
found
way
clostridium
difficile
infections
antibiotic
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People with celiac disease must avoid gluten completely for life, since no treatment currently exists to let them safely consume it again. A real treatment or cure would free patients from this lifelong dietary restriction.
health-biology
global-unspecified
cure
celiac
disease
dietary
yet
only
manage
strict
avoidance
treatment
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
determine
haven
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even mild traumatic brain injuries can cause lasting cognitive effects that current treatments struggle to fully reverse. A better understanding of brain recovery mechanisms could open new treatment paths.
health-biology
global-unspecified
brain
reverse
cognitive
traumatic
don
have
reliable
way
decline
caused
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A significant share of patients with depression don't respond adequately to standard treatments, and doctors currently have limited ability to predict who will respond to which approach. Better personalized treatment matching remains an open challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
depression
treatment
patients
haven
solved
responds
well
some
but
not
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide, yet treatment for chronic cases still mostly focuses on symptom management rather than fixing underlying structural or nerve issues. A more definitive solution remains elusive.
health-biology
global-unspecified
yet
chronic
lower
back
pain
management
rather
fully
treat
relying
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Glaucoma often causes irreversible vision loss before it's diagnosed, since early stages typically have no noticeable symptoms. Better early detection and prevention methods remain a pressing unmet need in eye care.
health-biology
global-unspecified
have
glaucoma
vision
loss
don
effective
way
prevent
progression
occurs
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chronic sinus inflammation affects a large number of people and current treatments, from medication to surgery, often only partially resolve symptoms long-term. A more definitive treatment remains undeveloped.
health-biology
global-unspecified
chronic
haven
found
reliable
cure
sinusitis
works
majority
sufferers
sinus
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Modern treatments can slow rheumatoid arthritis significantly, but many patients still experience some degree of joint damage over time despite treatment. Stopping this damage completely remains an unmet medical goal.
health-biology
global-unspecified
damage
joint
rheumatoid
arthritis
yet
fully
prevent
long-term
caused
modern
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Effective treatments for hepatitis B exist, but cost and access remain out of reach for many of the hundreds of millions of people living with the infection globally, particularly in lower-income regions. Closing this access gap remains unresolved.
health-biology
global-unspecified
hepatitis
don
have
scalable
affordable
treatment
available
everyone
infected
worldwide
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The same virus or bacteria can cause mild illness in most people while triggering severe, sometimes life-threatening complications in others, and we still don't fully understand why. This gap makes predicting and preventing severe outcomes difficult.
health-biology
global-unspecified
people
severe
complications
haven
solved
some
develop
common
infections
recover
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
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
By the time visible symptoms of Parkinson's appear, significant neurological damage has usually already occurred, limiting how much treatment can help. Detecting the disease years earlier could open the door to more effective intervention.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
parkinson
disease
symptoms
appear
don
have
reliable
way
detect
physical
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
health-biology
resolved
agreed
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
