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
Current life support distillation systems build up volatile organics and salts, degrading filtration membranes quickly. Next-generation electrochemical and enzymatic water purification systems are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
water
recycling
human
sweat
urine
space
yields
toxic
trace
contaminants
systems
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
whether
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
To achieve high efficiency, nuclear thermal engines must run hydrogen propellant at temperatures over 2,500 K, which corrodes reactor cores. Development of advanced ultra-high-temperature carbide and nitride nuclear ceramics is vital.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
nuclear
thermal
propulsion
reactors
suffer
rapid
degradation
fuel
elements
extreme
lack
science-space
systems
continuous
verification
solutions
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ground-based laser interferometers like LIGO can only hear high-frequency stellar-mass black hole collisions. Space-based interferometers with million-kilometer laser baselines (like LISA) are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
black
hole
cannot
directly
detect
low-frequency
gravitational
waves
supermassive
binaries
holes
climate-environment
study
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Missions passing from the inner solar system to the deep outer cold face severe thermal swings that degrade instruments. Variable emissivity smart materials and active thermal fluid loops are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
thermal
active
interplanetary
spacecraft
lack
lightweight
control
systems
extreme
environments
science-space
long
storage
whether
materials
designs
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Collecting samples from Venus or deep Martian canyons requires multi-stage rockets launching autonomously from foreign surfaces. Lightweight planetary ascent vehicles and automated orbital rendezvous systems must be built.
science-space
global-unspecified
systems
planetary
lack
autonomous
sample
return
missions
high-gravity
worlds
collecting
society-governance
technology-computing
climate-environment
economics-resources
ensuring
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Atmospheric pressure and temperatures inside gas giants destroy probes long before reaching their cores. Advanced gravitational mapping, seismic sensors, and neutrino probes are needed to uncover their core states.
science-space
global-unspecified
gas
cannot
directly
study
interior
structures
giant
planets
like
jupiter
climate-environment
internal
dynamics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most legacy satellites lack standardized refueling ports or mechanical docking interfaces, forcing them to burn out unnecessarily. Universal commercial servicing ports and robotic grapple protocols must be adopted globally.
science-space
global-unspecified
servicing
refueling
in-orbit
standards
different
satellite
manufacturers
not
exist
ports
climate-environment
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standard lithium-ion batteries lose efficiency and fail at sub-zero temperatures without dedicated thermal heaters. Development of solid-state or low-temperature tolerant electrolyte batteries is essential for planetary night survival.
science-space
global-unspecified
batteries
temperatures
lack
low-mass
high-capacity
suitable
extreme
cold
deep
space
climate-environment
haven
electric
recycling
solved
vehicle
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar-powered stratospheric drones designed for continuous Earth observation fail to survive long winter nights due to payload weight. Breakthrough high energy-density batteries and ultra-light solar wings are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
commercial
high-altitude
pseudo-satellites
haps
face
severe
battery
density
limitations
solar-powered
climate-environment
solar
high
efficiency
cells
radiation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Beamed light sails intended for Alpha Centauri must reflect 99.999% of laser light to avoid vaporizing instantly under gigawatt power. Metamaterial reflector sails with ultra-low thermal absorption must be created.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
laser
thermal
sail
probes
aimed
interstellar
travel
suffer
severe
damage
quantum
must
safe
identity
low
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar flares release massive kinetic and radiation energy, disrupting global High-Frequency radio and GPS signals. Micro-scale magnetic reconnection models are needed to predict flares hours before they burst.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
flares
solar
release
exact
physical
trigger
explosive
coronal
plasma
unconfirmed
science-space
haven
whether
fully
reliably
predict
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sterilization requirements to avoid contaminating Mars with Earth microbes make landers exceptionally expensive and slow to build. Advanced bio-decontamination standards and rapid cleanroom testing methods are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
mars
planetary
protection
protocols
hinder
robotic
exploration
potential
liquid
water
whether
philosophy-ethics
don
life
know
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Miniaturized satellites often burn out early because standard thrusters are too large or heavy for 1U-6U form factors. Micro-electrospray and green propellant systems must be scaled up for commercial CubeSat fleets.
science-space
global-unspecified
systems
small
cubesats
lack
propulsion
capable
major
orbital
plane
changes
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
economics-resources
early
real
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Methane detected in Mars' atmosphere could indicate ongoing biological activity or sub-surface geological serpentinization. Isotopic measurement instruments with high sensitivity are needed to trace the true source.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
source
methane
mars
exact
seasonal
fluctuations
spikes
unexplained
detected
atmosphere
climate-environment
emissions
high
industrial
cannot
reliably
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Thickening Mars' atmosphere or cooling Venus requires releasing greenhouse gases or solar shades on a planetary scale. Advanced bio-engineered extremophiles or orbital mirror swarms must be modeled and tested.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
proven
operational
mechanism
planetary-scale
atmospheric
terraforming
thickening
mars
atmosphere
science-space
lack
planetary
high
solar
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chemical lithium-hydroxide canisters are consumable, heavy, and wasteful for multi-year missions. Algae photo-bioreactors capable of converting human exhaled CO2 directly into oxygen and edible protein are required.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
human
lack
closed-loop
biological
carbon
dioxide
scrubbers
spacecraft
cabins
chemical
society-governance
solutions
long
mathematics-logic
science-space
term
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Mars (0.38g) and the Moon (0.16g) have partial gravity levels whose long-term impact on embryo development is completely unknown. Ground-based and orbital partial-gravity mammalian centrifuges are required.
society-governance
global-unspecified
mammalian
development
partial
gravity
not
know
gestation
safely
occur
mars
mathematics-logic
whether
philosophy-ethics
fully
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Without gravity, liquid fuels float randomly inside tanks, causing air bubbles to enter fuel pumps during orbital refilling. Scalable fluid-settling systems and bladderless zero-g fuel transfer ports must be built.
science-space
global-unspecified
transfer
in-orbit
propellant
between
moving
spacecraft
microgravity
unstable
fuel
gravity
haven
whether
climate-environment
make
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Energetic protons and electrons in Earth's Van Allen belts degrade standard solar panel efficiency over time. Radiation-hardened perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells are needed to maintain high power-to-weight ratios.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
cells
lack
ultra-lightweight
high-efficiency
resistant
orbital
radiation
degradation
energetic
science-space
whether
power
haven
small
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The solar wind strips away atmospheres from unmagnetized planets like Mars, but how it reaches supersonic speeds is unclear. Close-orbit solar probes and plasma simulations are needed to resolve acceleration dynamics.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
wind
plasma
mechanism
accelerates
millions
remains
unverified
strips
away
whether
haven
philosophy-ethics
science-space
small
energy
