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
Advanced filtration technology exists, but cost and infrastructure requirements keep effective solutions out of reach for many communities facing the most severe water contamination issues. Solving this affordability and deployment challenge remains urgent.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
filtration
technology
effective
yet
build
affordable
enough
remove
all
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar panel efficiency has improved significantly, but in regions with less sunlight or higher installation costs, achieving full cost competitiveness with traditional energy remains inconsistent. Closing this gap universally remains an unresolved technical and economic challenge.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
make
solar
panel
efficiency
haven
found
way
high
enough
small
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
climate-environment
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many remote communities still lack consistent access to electricity because building traditional grid infrastructure to reach them is prohibitively expensive. Affordable, reliable off-grid alternatives remain incompletely developed and deployed at scale.
local-regional
global-unspecified
affordable
reliable
off-grid
remote
communities
infrastructure
don
have
scalable
way
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Advanced diagnostic technology often requires expensive, bulky equipment that isn't practical for small clinics in remote or under-resourced areas. Miniaturizing and lowering the cost of this technology without sacrificing accuracy remains an unresolved challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
diagnostic
clinics
yet
build
affordable
portable
medical
devices
accurate
enough
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
haven
technology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Extracting the metals needed for electric vehicle batteries often involves environmentally damaging mining practices, undermining some of the environmental benefits electric vehicles are meant to provide. Finding cleaner extraction or alternative materials remains an unresolved sustainability challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
electric
vehicle
environmentally
mining
practices
haven
solved
make
battery
production
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Voice recognition systems are typically trained on standard speech patterns, making them significantly less accurate for people with speech impairments or unusual speech patterns. Closing this accessibility gap remains an underaddressed technical challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
speech
voice
recognition
people
impairments
don
have
reliable
way
make
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Effective air purification technology exists but often remains too expensive for widespread use in low-income housing, where indoor air pollution can be a serious health concern. Making this technology genuinely affordable remains an unresolved public health challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
public-health
air-pollution
air
technology
affordable
purification
effective
indoor
pollution
low-income
housing
yet
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Storing renewable energy at the scale needed to fully support national power grids still requires battery technology that remains too expensive for widespread deployment. Closing this cost gap remains one of the biggest barriers to a fully renewable grid.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
renewable-energy
fully
renewable
grid
battery
support
energy
national
scale
haven
found
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Telemedicine can expand healthcare access, but its usefulness is limited in areas where internet connectivity is too unreliable to support video consultations consistently. Solving this connectivity dependency remains an unresolved infrastructure challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
connectivity
telemedicine
infrastructure
areas
internet
don
have
scalable
way
build
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar lighting technology exists, but durability and cost issues have limited how widely and reliably it can be deployed in regions that need it most. Improving both affordability and long-term reliability remains an unresolved challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
lighting
regions
yet
build
affordable
durable
solar-powered
solutions
reliable
enough
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
determine
society-governance
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Charging speed and battery performance for electric vehicles can be significantly affected by extreme temperatures, creating inconsistent experiences depending on climate. Solving this reliability gap remains an unresolved engineering challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
electric
charging
extreme
haven
solved
make
vehicle
infrastructure
consistently
reliable
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most human knowledge lives in systems vulnerable to disaster, conflict, or simple neglect, with no single resilient backup for civilization's collective information. A well-protected global archive could safeguard this against permanent loss.
society-governance
global-unspecified
archive
human
knowledge
against
loss
don
have
shared
preserves
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
systems
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A surprising number of published scientific results can't be reproduced when other researchers try the same experiment, undermining trust in published findings. Fixing this reproducibility gap is essential to keeping science reliable.
science-space
global-unspecified
scientific
results
haven
solved
make
research
replicate
consistently
different
labs
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
institutional
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Illegal wildlife trade pushes species toward extinction while operating largely undetected across international borders. A more coordinated global tracking system could catch this trade before, not after, populations collapse.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
system
tracking
wildlife
don
have
reliable
stopping
trafficking
trade
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The deep ocean holds vast mineral resources and ecosystems we barely understand, yet no single country has authority over most of it. Without a fair governance system, the deep sea risks being exploited before it's even properly studied.
society-governance
global-unspecified
deep
fair
sea
single
haven
found
way
govern
belongs
nation
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Historic sites are being lost to conflict, flooding, and neglect faster than preservation efforts can keep up, often permanently. Cheaper, faster preservation methods could save irreplaceable pieces of human history.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate-change
sites
don
have
affordable
way
preserve
cultural
heritage
threatened
war
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Space missions are still largely framed as national or corporate accomplishments rather than shared human ones, even though the benefits and risks affect everyone. A more collaborative model could accelerate progress and broaden its benefits.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
shared
national
haven
solved
make
exploration
not
just
achievement
society-governance
benefits
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
mechanisms
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wars, disasters, and deliberate erasure have destroyed countless historical records, leaving gaps and disputes that may never be resolved. Better methods for reconstructing or verifying history could settle long-standing disputes.
health-biology
global-unspecified
have
historical
records
destroyed
don
reliable
way
verify
been
lost
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The first hours after a disaster are often the most critical for saving lives, yet aid frequently takes days to arrive due to logistics and coordination failures. Closing this gap could save many lives that are currently lost to delay alone.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
disaster
first
critical
hours
haven
found
way
make
relief
reach
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A language disappears roughly every few weeks somewhere in the world, often taking irreplaceable cultural knowledge with it. Without better preservation tools, much of human linguistic diversity may vanish within a generation.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
don
have
standard
preserve
endangered
languages
disappear
language
disappears
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
way
mathematics-logic
