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 pieces of space junk are already circling the planet, threatening satellites and future missions. Left unresolved, orbit could become too cluttered and risky to safely launch into.
science-space
north-america
united-states
orbit
don
have
affordable
way
remove
dangerous
debris
earth
thousands
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
agreed
open
United States, North America
Even our fastest probes would take tens of thousands of years to reach the nearest star system. Without a breakthrough in propulsion, interstellar travel remains purely theoretical.
science-space
north-america
united-states
reach
haven
built
spacecraft
nearby
stars
human
lifetime
even
our
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some volcanoes give warning signs, but many erupt with little notice, putting nearby populations at serious risk. Better prediction could prevent mass casualties near active volcanoes worldwide.
health-biology
global-unspecified
accurately
forecast
volcanic
eruptions
happen
volcanoes
some
give
warning
signs
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
early
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gravity should be pulling everything together over time, yet distant galaxies are accelerating away from each other. This mystery, blamed on dark energy, remains one of the biggest open questions in physics.
science-space
global-unspecified
don
understand
universe
expansion
speeding
instead
slowing
down
gravity
pulling
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
know
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Growing crops in space or on other planets means dealing with low gravity, radiation, and limited water and soil. Without solving this, any permanent settlement beyond Earth stays dependent on costly resupply missions.
science-space
global-unspecified
earth
grow
food
efficiently
enough
support
long-term
human
settlements
off
long
whether
missions
philosophy-ethics
medical
psychological
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Outside Earth's magnetic field, cosmic radiation raises cancer risk and can damage the brain and body over time. This is one of the biggest blockers to sending humans to Mars safely.
science-space
global-unspecified
radiation
haven
found
way
shield
astronauts
long
space
missions
outside
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
United States, North America
Seismologists can identify risky zones but not the exact moment a quake will strike. A few minutes of reliable warning could save thousands of lives in earthquake-prone cities.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
warning
save
lives
predict
earthquakes
enough
seismologists
identify
risky
zones
global-unspecified
haven
whether
disaster
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Dark matter and dark energy make up roughly ninety five percent of the universe, yet we've never directly detected either. Everything we can see and touch is a small fraction of what's really out there.
science-space
global-unspecified
universe
energy
don
know
mass
actually
dark
matter
make
roughly
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fusion promises nearly limitless clean energy, but every experiment so far has needed more power to run than it generates. Cracking this would end the global energy crisis outright.
science-space
global-unspecified
energy
fusion
yet
build
reactor
produces
consumes
sustained
periods
promises
climate-environment
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
systems
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gravity describes the large scale universe well, and quantum mechanics describes the tiny scale well, but the two don't fit together mathematically. A unified theory would finally explain what happens inside black holes and at the birth of the universe.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
don
theory
gravity
quantum
mechanics
have
working
unifies
describes
scale
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Every search so far has come back empty, but our tools for detecting distant life are still crude. Knowing the answer would reshape biology, philosophy, and how we think about our place in the universe.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
life
have
never
proven
whether
exists
anywhere
beyond
earth
our
resolved
know
haven
mathematics-logic
possible
don
Current approaches to real-time monitoring and response systems for industrial chemical and oil spill events either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
society-governance
oceania
fiji
systems
real-time
monitoring
response
industrial
chemical
oil
spill
events
practical
climate-environment
enabling
technology-computing
solutions
under
Achieving protocols for equitable and rapid distribution of medical countermeasures in pandemics at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
health-biology
africa
egypt
protocols
equitable
rapid
distribution
medical
countermeasures
pandemics
systemic
solutions
addressing
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
methods
Farmers near protected reserves in Morocco suffer repeated crop and livestock losses to wildlife, and existing deterrents are either ineffective or too costly for widespread deployment, fueling retaliatory killings.
climate-environment
africa
morocco
protected
reserves
reducing
human-wildlife
conflict
agricultural
areas
bordering
farmers
wildlife
chile
romania
myanmar
democratic
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for methods for restoring the productivity and resilience of agricultural systems under climate change creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
climate-environment
europe
poland
climate-change
systems
solutions
methods
restoring
productivity
resilience
agricultural
under
climate
change
society-governance
governance
enabling
ensuring
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for teacher development platforms producing national-scale practice change are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
social-civic-problems
oceania
fiji
teacher
development
platforms
producing
national-scale
practice
change
practical
realization
despite
climate-environment
methods
systems
barriers
society-governance
open
Canada, North America
Achieving solutions for managing the growing burden of mental health conditions in young populations at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
health-biology
north-america
canada
mental-health
solutions
managing
growing
burden
mental
health
conditions
young
populations
systemic
economics-resources
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
open
Chile, South America
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for methods for reducing the transmission of antimicrobial resistance through food and environmental pathways are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
climate-environment
south-america
chile
methods
reducing
transmission
antimicrobial
resistance
food
environmental
pathways
field-ready
systems
society-governance
barriers
designs
economics-resources
high
People displaced by climate impacts from Poland have no dedicated legal migration pathway under current international frameworks, leaving many in prolonged legal limbo.
climate-environment
europe
poland
legal
pathway
people
improving
access
climate-displaced
displaced
climate
impacts
global-unspecified
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
migration
under
Students in low-connectivity regions of Global cannot benefit from most digital learning platforms, which assume continuous internet access unavailable in their communities.
technology-computing
digital
learning
low-connectivity
regions
delivering
offline-capable
tools
students
cannot
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
low
access
society-governance
economics-resources
remains
