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
Early brain-computer interfaces show promise for helping paralyzed patients control devices with thought alone, but long-term safety, reliability, and signal accuracy remain unresolved. Wider medical adoption depends on solving these fundamental issues first.
health-biology
global-unspecified
brain-computer
interfaces
medical
haven
solved
make
safe
reliable
enough
widespread
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
way
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Once a photo or video is edited or generated, there's often no reliable way to trace it back to prove whether the original was authentic. Building this verification into cameras and platforms from the start remains an unsolved industry challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
way
don
have
widely
adopted
verify
authenticity
digital
photos
videos
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Content that provokes strong emotional reactions tends to get algorithmically boosted because it keeps people engaged longer, regardless of whether it's accurate or healthy. Redesigning these systems without destroying platform business models remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
content
haven
found
way
prevent
social
media
algorithms
disproportionately
amplifying
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The way solid-state drives store data internally makes secure, complete deletion technically harder than with traditional spinning hard drives. This creates lingering privacy and security risks when these drives are discarded or resold.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
drives
way
data
solid-state
hard
don
have
reliable
permanently
erase
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Today's most capable AI models are trained on vast datasets scraped from the internet, often including copyrighted works and personal information without clear consent. Finding effective training methods that avoid this legal and ethical gray area remains unsolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
don
training
methods
copyrighted
personal
have
require
enormous
amounts
data
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
way
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most software vulnerabilities trace back to common coding mistakes that better language design could prevent from the start. Despite decades of research, mainstream programming still makes these mistakes easy to make.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
programming
make
don
have
languages
writing
secure
bug-free
code
default
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Zero-day flaws are unknown weaknesses in software that attackers can exploit before a fix exists, and current detection methods still miss many of them until after damage is done. Finding these flaws proactively remains one of cybersecurity's hardest problems.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
zero-day
software
attackers
don
have
reliable
way
detect
vulnerabilities
find
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even advanced AI systems can lose track of important details from earlier in a long conversation or document, leading to inconsistent or contradictory answers. True long-term memory and context tracking remains an open technical challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
context
long
haven
found
way
make
large
models
understand
over
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The share of people over 65 will rise sharply, raising demand for geriatric care, dementia services, and palliative care. Robotics-assisted caregiving, home-based monitoring, and new care-financing models could ease the burden.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
care
will
ageing
populations
strain
health
systems
long-term
infrastructure
share
society-governance
health-biology
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cell and gene therapies may deliver durable remissions but have complex safety profiles. Post-marketing registries and patient-reported outcome platforms can close knowledge gaps.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
therapies
new
cancer
will
demand
better
real-world
data
understand
long-term
society-governance
public
registries
health-biology
governance
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cell and gene therapies may deliver durable remissions but have complex safety profiles. Post-marketing registries and patient-reported outcome platforms can close knowledge gaps.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
data
therapies
new
cancer
will
demand
better
real-world
understand
long-term
society-governance
technology-computing
infrastructure
african
systems
europe
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Emerging evidence suggests links to endocrine and immune disruption. Long-term exposure cohorts and mechanistic toxicology are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
exposure
chronic
microplastics
environmental
toxins
may
drive
new
disease
patterns
health-biology
mathematics-logic
whether
long
philosophy-ethics
term
open
Antarctica / Unspecified, Antarctica
Penguin, krill, and seabird populations are already shifting or declining as habitats change and food webs reorganise. Long-term ecological monitoring and ecosystem-modelling platforms are needed to guide conservation.
mathematics-logic
antarctica
antarctica-unspecified
antarctic
ecosystems
face
emerging
threats
warming
acidification
changing
sea
ice
climate-environment
global-unspecified
prevent
philosophy-ethics
whether
open
Antarctica / Unspecified, Antarctica
Supply chains for fuel, food, and equipment depend on limited routes and budgets, constraining long-term research. Optimisation tools and shared logistics platforms could improve resilience.
economics-resources
antarctica
antarctica-unspecified
supply-chain
logistical
support
antarctic
science
vulnerable
cost
weather
geopolitical
shocks
supply
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
systems
open
Antarctica / Unspecified, Antarctica
Warming may alter soil stability, hydrology, and microbial activity, affecting infrastructure and ecosystems. Long-term ground-temperature networks and modelling tools can track changes.
climate-environment
antarctica
antarctica-unspecified
changes
permafrost
active-layer
antarctic
soils
not
fully
monitored
warming
may
mathematics-logic
whether
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People currently juggle dozens of separate logins and identity systems, each with different security and privacy standards. A single trusted, privacy-respecting identity system remains unbuilt at global scale.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
identity
don
have
universal
standard
digital
works
safely
every
country
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Passwords remain widely used despite being easy to steal or forget, and alternatives like biometrics or hardware keys haven't achieved universal, trusted adoption. A truly seamless and secure replacement remains unbuilt at global scale.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
haven
trusted
found
way
make
password-free
authentication
universally
available
passwords
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Modern AI models produce answers without a clear, checkable chain of reasoning, making it hard to know if a correct answer was reached for the right reasons. Verifiable reasoning is essential before AI can be trusted in high-stakes decisions.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
reasoning
don
have
systems
explain
way
humans
verify
modern
models
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
South America / Unspecified, South America
Conservation promises collide with mining, logging, and agribusiness expansion. Conservation-impact assessment and enforcement-support tools can balance interests.
climate-environment
south-america
south-america-unspecified
biodiversity
hotspots
south
america
face
pressure
legal
illegal
extraction
conservation
society-governance
science-space
term
long
logging
open
Europe / Unspecified, Europe
Intermittent generation and new demand patterns strain legacy infrastructure. Grid-digitalisation and flexibility-market platforms offer major opportunities.
technology-computing
europe
europe-unspecified
energy
grids
need
significant
upgrades
integrate
renewables
cross-border
flows
systems
global-unspecified
african
data
infrastructure
climate-environment
