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
Every kilogram of fuel launched from Earth adds enormous cost to a mission. Producing fuel on-site from ice or soil could make deep space missions dramatically more affordable.
science-space
global-unspecified
fuel
haven
found
cheap
way
produce
rocket
local
resources
moon
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
make
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Low gravity and different light conditions slow plant growth and change nutrient uptake in ways we don't fully understand yet. Solving this is essential for any long-duration space mission that needs fresh food.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
grow
plants
same
yield
speed
earth
low
gravity
different
whether
philosophy-ethics
fully
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This mismatch is part of the evidence for dark matter, but the details of how it shapes galaxy rotation are still not fully worked out. A better model would sharpen our understanding of galaxy formation.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
matter
haven
explained
some
galaxies
rotate
ways
don
match
visible
whether
know
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
fully
open
United States, North America
Reusable rockets have cut costs, but they still require significant repair and inspection after each landing. True rapid reusability, like an airplane, would make space travel dramatically cheaper.
science-space
north-america
united-states
rockets
reusable
yet
build
fully
expensive
refurbishment
between
flights
have
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
open
United States, North America
We've confirmed thousands of exoplanets, but identifying which ones could truly support life requires data we mostly don't have yet. A clearer count would refocus the search for life beyond Earth.
philosophy-ethics
north-america
united-states
don
know
exactly
potentially
habitable
planets
exist
our
galaxy
life
global-unspecified
whether
resolved
determine
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current spacesuits are bulky, tiring, and limit fine motor movement, making long spacewalks physically exhausting. A more agile suit would make space construction and repair work far more practical.
science-space
global-unspecified
work
haven
developed
spacesuit
lets
astronauts
efficiently
extended
periods
fatigue
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
solved
space
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A severe solar storm could knock out satellites, GPS, and even electrical grids with little warning. Better prediction would give critical infrastructure time to prepare or shut down safely.
science-space
global-unspecified
solar
satellites
grids
reliably
predict
flares
disrupt
power
earth
severe
infrastructure
climate-environment
space
weather
protection
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Earth's magnetic field protects us from solar radiation, but the dynamo process that generates it deep underground is still only partly understood. This matters for predicting how long that protection will last.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
magnetic
earth
don
fully
understand
fields
form
behave
inside
planets
whether
philosophy-ethics
science-space
know
mathematics-logic
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Right now we can only detect exoplanets indirectly, through shadows and wobbles in starlight. Direct imaging would let us actually study alien landscapes and atmospheres instead of just inferring their existence.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
imaging
haven
built
telescope
capable
directly
surface
features
planets
outside
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
philosophy-ethics
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
We understand the general physics of dying stars, but the precise trigger moment inside a collapsing star remains difficult to observe and model. Solving this would sharpen predictions about stellar life cycles across the universe.
science-space
global-unspecified
explain
exact
mechanism
triggers
supernova
real
time
understand
general
physics
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Every lunar mission so far has been short-term, relying entirely on supplies brought from Earth. A base that grows its own food, recycles its own water, and generates its own power would prove long-term space settlement is possible.
science-space
global-unspecified
base
its
own
haven
figured
out
build
permanent
self-sustaining
moon
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
know
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If P equaled NP, countless hard problems in logistics, cryptography, and optimization could be solved efficiently, but most computer scientists suspect they can't. This remains the most famous open question in computer science.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
whether
don
know
equals
some
fundamentally
harder
solve
check
computer
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
mathematics-logic
possible
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This conjecture about the zeros of a specific complex function would, if proven, tighten our understanding of how primes are distributed among all integers. It's considered one of the most important unsolved problems in mathematics.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
proven
haven
riemann
hypothesis
predicts
exactly
building
blocks
prime
numbers
whether
know
every
possible
mathematical
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gödel's incompleteness theorems already showed some truths escape any fixed formal system, but the full boundary between provable and unprovable truths remains an active area of exploration. This shapes how we understand the limits of formal reasoning itself.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
system
don
know
every
mathematical
statement
seems
true
eventually
proven
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many Diophantine equations, which ask for whole-number solutions, resist any general method for predicting how many solutions exist. Solving specific cases has taken decades and earned major mathematical prizes.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
solutions
equations
haven
determined
whether
number
certain
simple
whole
numbers
possible
know
every
philosophy-ethics
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This weaker cousin of Goldbach's Conjecture illustrates how even modest-sounding claims about primes can remain unproven for centuries. It highlights how little we still understand about the raw arithmetic of prime numbers.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
prime
even
numbers
don
know
whether
every
sufficiently
large
number
haven
possible
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If pi is what mathematicians call 'normal,' every string of digits, including your birthday or an entire book encoded in numbers, would appear infinitely often. No proof exists either way, despite pi's digits being computed to trillions of places.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
digits
every
numbers
haven
resolved
whether
contain
possible
finite
sequence
know
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This difficulty is exactly what keeps most modern encryption secure, since multiplying primes together is easy but reversing the process is not. If an efficient method were found, it could upend the security of the internet as we know it.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
know
don
efficiently
factor
extremely
large
numbers
prime
components
difficulty
whether
haven
philosophy-ethics
possible
resolved
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sphere-packing problems are solved for a few specific dimensions, but the general pattern across all possible dimensions remains unknown. This affects fields ranging from error-correcting codes to theoretical physics.
science-space
global-unspecified
haven
determined
exact
boundary
densely
objects
packed
higher-dimensional
spaces
dimensions
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
possible
resolved
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Despite chess being fully deterministic with no hidden information, its complexity is so vast that no one has proven who truly holds the advantage under perfect play. Solving smaller games has offered clues, but full chess remains unresolved.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
chess
has
proven
haven
whether
principle
always
guaranteed
winning
drawing
philosophy-ethics
resolved
possible
know
every
mathematical
