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
Automated moderation systems still struggle to tell the difference between genuinely harmful content and similar-looking legitimate content, like educational or satirical material. This tradeoff between over- and under-moderation remains unresolved at scale.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
content
moderation
systems
harmful
legitimate
don
have
catch
also
flagging
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
way
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many data centers rely on significant volumes of water to keep servers cool, straining local water supplies especially in drought-prone regions. Alternative cooling methods that don't compete with community water needs remain underdeveloped at scale.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
data
centers
don
cooling
yet
build
require
massive
amounts
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many smart home and industrial devices ship with weak security because manufacturers prioritize low cost over protection, creating easy targets for hackers. Fixing this at scale requires an industry-wide shift that hasn't happened yet.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
devices
haven
found
way
fully
secure
internet
things
cheap
mass-produced
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
make
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Bioprinting and stem-cell therapies may not scale fast enough to meet demand. Organ-allocation optimisation and cross-border sharing platforms remain important.
health-biology
global-unspecified
may
future
organ
shortage
crises
persist
despite
advances
regenerative
medicine
climate-environment
technology-computing
food
whether
philosophy-ethics
microbial
open
Antarctica / Unspecified, Antarctica
Shifted Southern Ocean dynamics could trigger large-scale circulation changes. High-resolution Earth-system models and sustained observations are needed.
climate-environment
antarctica
antarctica-unspecified
changes
ocean
circulation
not
know
antarctic
will
alter
thresholds
fully
global-unspecified
understand
ice
science-space
climate
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
Qubits are extremely sensitive to their environment and lose their quantum state within fractions of a second, limiting what any quantum computer can currently do. Solving this instability is the main barrier between quantum computing's promise and its practical use.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
quantum-computing
quantum
yet
build
computers
stable
enough
run
useful
programs
scale
infrastructure
science-space
benchmarking
algorithms
against
open
Europe / Unspecified, Europe
Member states maintain separate procurement and R&D processes, reducing scale and interoperability. Data-driven joint procurement platforms and shared standards tools could enhance efficiency.
society-governance
europe
europe-unspecified
european
defence-industrial
coordination
fragmented
procurement
member
states
maintain
separate
processes
systems
technology-computing
standards
african
data
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Turbulence, magnetic fields, and feedback from young stars interact in complex ways to set stellar masses and rates. Multi-scale simulations and high-resolution observations with radio and infrared telescopes can help disentangle these effects.
science-space
global-unspecified
detailed
processes
drive
star
formation
molecular
clouds
remain
unclear
turbulence
interstellar
lack
dynamics
magnetic
fields
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gas, dust, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays interact across scales, but many parameters are poorly measured. Multi-band surveys and simulation campaigns can connect small-scale physics with galactic evolution.
science-space
global-unspecified
detailed
composition
dynamics
interstellar
medium
remain
uncertain
gas
dust
magnetic
lack
know
cosmic
star
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Oscillation experiments show mixing but leave ordering and scale uncertain. Next-generation beta-decay and cosmological probes can answer these questions.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
mass
scale
neutrino
hierarchy
absolute
not
fully
resolved
oscillation
experiments
society-governance
without
know
science-space
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Alternative theories predict deviations that current experiments are only beginning to probe. More sensitive tabletop experiments are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
precise
experimental
tests
gravity
sub-millimeter
scales
experiments
alternative
theories
know
dark
matter
fully
understand
predict
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Simulations predict substructure that observations only partly confirm. Strong lensing and stellar stream measurements can probe these scales.
science-space
global-unspecified
characterizing
small-scale
structure
dark
matter
halos
remains
difficult
simulations
predict
lack
know
remain
models
actually
what
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Floods, droughts, and storms repeatedly erase assets for low-income families. Climate-resilient housing and micro-insurance products can help absorb shocks.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
shocks
climate
push
households
back
poverty
modest
gains
floods
droughts
economics-resources
products
income
against
community
scale
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Local livelihoods are squeezed. Preferential access and co-management can support them.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
small-scale
fishers
face
competition
industrial
fleets
local
livelihoods
squeezed
preferential
society-governance
african
fast
growing
remains
climate-environment
Film, music, and gaming sectors are growing rapidly but creators struggle to access capital and global digital platforms to monetize their work. Regional creative-industry funds and rights-management platforms could help scale talent.
technology-computing
africa
african
creative
industries
lack
sufficient
financing
distribution
infrastructure
platforms
film
digital
global-unspecified
remains
economics-resources
access
low
Successful local reconciliation efforts often lack funding and institutional support to expand to other regions. Impact-tracking tools and pooled funding mechanisms could support replication.
society-governance
africa
african
peacebuilding
initiatives
struggle
scale
beyond
pilot
programs
funding
support
global-unspecified
remains
lack
climate-environment
economics-resources
access
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Inheritance customs split land across generations, leaving average farm sizes shrinking below profitable thresholds. Cooperative farming models and land-pooling platforms could restore economies of scale.
economics-resources
asia
south-southeast-asia
land
fragmentation
making
farms
too
small
economically
viable
asian
countries
global-unspecified
society-governance
remain
communities
african
open
East & South Asia, Asia
Aging farming populations struggle to find workers during planting and harvest seasons, especially in East Asia. Affordable small-scale farm automation and shared-equipment rental platforms could offset labor gaps.
technology-computing
asia
east-south-asia
labor
agricultural
shortages
emerging
rural
youth
migrate
cities
aging
global-unspecified
african
economics-resources
remains
access
haven