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
United States, North America
Thousands of dead satellites and fragments now circle the planet, and a single collision can create thousands more pieces of debris. Left unmanaged, this could eventually make some orbits too dangerous to use safely.
science-space
north-america
united-states
debris
haven
built
practical
way
clean
growing
amount
orbiting
earth
space
global-unspecified
removal
technologies
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Shipwrecks and sunken settlements often hold historically valuable artifacts that are vulnerable to looting due to weak or inconsistent international protection. A stronger shared framework remains unbuilt.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
framework
looting
don
have
consistent
protecting
underwater
archaeological
sites
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Valuable datasets from completed research projects are sometimes lost entirely once funding and staff move on, wasting years of prior work. A shared system for preserving this data long-term remains underdeveloped.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
lost
research
funding
haven
found
way
prevent
important
scientific
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Enormous amounts of human knowledge and art remain physically locked inside buildings that most of the world's population will never get to visit in person. Making this content genuinely accessible remotely remains incomplete.
health-biology
global-unspecified
world
accessible
visit
yet
make
museums
libraries
around
fully
people
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
United States, North America
Thousands of victims from past wars and disasters remain unidentified, leaving families without closure decades later. Better, cheaper identification methods could resolve many of these long-standing cases.
health-biology
north-america
united-states
disasters
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
identify
unmarked
human
remains
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Much of humanity's cultural knowledge lives only in memory, passed down verbally, and disappears permanently when the last person who remembers it dies. Systematic preservation efforts remain underfunded and incomplete.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
last
haven
solved
preserve
oral
histories
traditions
speakers
keepers
pass
whether
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
endangered
languages
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Turbulent flow, like water rushing through a pipe or air moving over a wing, is notoriously hard to describe with exact mathematics. A complete theory would improve everything from weather prediction to aircraft design.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
complete
theory
haven
proven
rigorous
explaining
turbulence
fluids
mathematically
turbulent
whether
possible
philosophy-ethics
know
every
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
We have very good approximations, but no exact formula exists that perfectly predicts the count of primes below a chosen number. Improving this approximation remains an active and important area of research.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
have
formula
below
number
don
general
predicting
exactly
prime
numbers
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
determine
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Finding the shortest possible route visiting a long list of locations becomes exponentially harder as the list grows, and no fully efficient general solution exists. Logistics, chip design, and delivery networks all run into this limit.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
solution
locations
don
have
complete
traveling
salesman
very
large
numbers
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
know
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Twin primes are pairs of prime numbers that differ by only two, and mathematicians strongly suspect there are infinitely many, but nobody has proven it. This remains one of number theory's oldest open questions.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
proven
there
infinitely
twin
prime
numbers
haven
whether
primes
pairs
know
possible
every
resolved
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Conservation efforts often focus on species useful or appealing to humans, leaving the ethical status of less charismatic species less clear. Whether all species deserve equal protection regardless of usefulness remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
species
humans
haven
settled
obligations
any
have
toward
preserving
provide
whether
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
know
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
International law sets minimum obligations toward refugees, but whether wealthier nations have a deeper moral duty beyond the legal minimum remains a genuinely contested ethical question.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
nations
have
moral
duty
refugees
beyond
international
law
don
resolved
determine
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Every major technology carries some risk of misuse or unintended harm, but there's no agreed standard for how much risk is acceptable before restricting or slowing development.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
risk
acceptable
haven
found
shared
ethical
framework
developing
powerful
new
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Poverty, trauma, and social conditions can heavily influence behavior, but there's no settled agreement on how much this should reduce someone's responsibility for their actions.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
responsibility
don
agree
person
circumstances
excuse
moral
legal
poverty
trauma
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
know
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Allowing payment for organs or surrogacy could increase availability and help people in need, but also raises concerns about exploitation of the poor. Society remains deeply divided on where ethical limits should sit.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
ethical
organs
haven
settled
whether
allow
markets
exist
things
like
resolved
know
determine
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some products, like social media or certain foods, are deliberately designed to be highly engaging or addictive, raising questions about the maker's moral responsibility for resulting harm.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
responsibility
products
addictive
don
agree
companies
bear
societal
effects
know
whether
resolved
determine
haven
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some believe rewards should go strictly to those who work hardest or perform best, while others argue unequal starting points make pure merit-based systems inherently unfair. This tension remains philosophically unresolved.
local-regional
global-unspecified
haven
found
universal
answer
societies
balance
individual
merit
against
equal
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Reviving extinct species raises questions about ecological impact, animal welfare, and whether it's truly meant to help nature or satisfy human curiosity. There's no consensus on whether this is a responsible use of the technology.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
extinct
species
technology
don
agree
ethical
bring
back
genetic
resolved
haven
know
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Decisions today about climate, resource use, or nuclear waste will affect people who haven't been born yet and have no way to advocate for themselves. How much their future interests should count remains genuinely unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
haven
future
yet
settled
moral
weight
given
potential
humans
don
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some argue extreme wealth carries an obligation to help others, while others see it purely as a matter of personal choice. Philosophy hasn't settled this question in any way most people accept.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
obligation
wealth
don
agree
whether
wealthy
individuals
have
moral
give
resolved
know
determine
haven
mathematics-logic
