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
Voice assistants often misinterpret complex or ambiguous requests, especially involving sarcasm, local dialects, or multi-step instructions. Bridging this understanding gap remains a persistent limitation of current systems.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voice
assistants
yet
make
understand
context
nuance
well
human
listener
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
systems
haven
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Evidence suggests Mars once had liquid water, a key ingredient for life, but no mission has yet found conclusive proof of past or present microbes. Answering this remains one of planetary science's biggest open questions.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
mars
life
don
know
certain
whether
ever
hosted
hosts
any
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
possible
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Shipwrecks and sunken settlements often hold historically valuable artifacts that are vulnerable to looting due to weak or inconsistent international protection. A stronger shared framework remains unbuilt.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
framework
looting
don
have
consistent
protecting
underwater
archaeological
sites
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Valuable datasets from completed research projects are sometimes lost entirely once funding and staff move on, wasting years of prior work. A shared system for preserving this data long-term remains underdeveloped.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
lost
research
funding
haven
found
way
prevent
important
scientific
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Enormous amounts of human knowledge and art remain physically locked inside buildings that most of the world's population will never get to visit in person. Making this content genuinely accessible remotely remains incomplete.
health-biology
global-unspecified
world
accessible
visit
yet
make
museums
libraries
around
fully
people
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
United States, North America
Thousands of victims from past wars and disasters remain unidentified, leaving families without closure decades later. Better, cheaper identification methods could resolve many of these long-standing cases.
health-biology
north-america
united-states
disasters
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
identify
unmarked
human
remains
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
We have very good approximations, but no exact formula exists that perfectly predicts the count of primes below a chosen number. Improving this approximation remains an active and important area of research.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
have
formula
below
number
don
general
predicting
exactly
prime
numbers
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
determine
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Twin primes are pairs of prime numbers that differ by only two, and mathematicians strongly suspect there are infinitely many, but nobody has proven it. This remains one of number theory's oldest open questions.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
proven
there
infinitely
twin
prime
numbers
haven
whether
primes
pairs
know
possible
every
resolved
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Conservation efforts often focus on species useful or appealing to humans, leaving the ethical status of less charismatic species less clear. Whether all species deserve equal protection regardless of usefulness remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
species
humans
haven
settled
obligations
any
have
toward
preserving
provide
whether
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
know
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
International law sets minimum obligations toward refugees, but whether wealthier nations have a deeper moral duty beyond the legal minimum remains a genuinely contested ethical question.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
nations
have
moral
duty
refugees
beyond
international
law
don
resolved
determine
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Allowing payment for organs or surrogacy could increase availability and help people in need, but also raises concerns about exploitation of the poor. Society remains deeply divided on where ethical limits should sit.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
ethical
organs
haven
settled
whether
allow
markets
exist
things
like
resolved
know
determine
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some believe rewards should go strictly to those who work hardest or perform best, while others argue unequal starting points make pure merit-based systems inherently unfair. This tension remains philosophically unresolved.
local-regional
global-unspecified
haven
found
universal
answer
societies
balance
individual
merit
against
equal
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Decisions today about climate, resource use, or nuclear waste will affect people who haven't been born yet and have no way to advocate for themselves. How much their future interests should count remains genuinely unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
haven
future
yet
settled
moral
weight
given
potential
humans
don
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some jurisdictions already use AI risk assessments to help judges decide sentences, raising concerns about fairness, bias, and accountability. Whether machines should have this level of influence over human freedom remains ethically unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
haven
agreed
ethical
make
final
decisions
criminal
sentencing
some
resolved
know
mathematics-logic
determine
don
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gig work can offer flexibility but often comes with unpredictable income swings that make financial planning difficult for workers. A system that offers more income stability without eliminating flexibility remains unresolved.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
income
gig
workers
yet
ensure
economy
have
predictable
stable
despite
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
informal
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Resources like fresh water, fertile soil, and certain minerals are being used faster than they can replenish, yet markets often don't price this depletion accurately. Building this cost into economic decision-making remains largely unresolved.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
don
economic
depletion
resources
have
system
properly
accounts
finite
natural
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Small businesses often struggle to access recovery funding quickly enough after disasters, leading to permanent closures that could have been prevented. Faster, more accessible recovery financing remains an unresolved gap.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
recovery
financing
quickly
small
businesses
haven
found
way
make
disaster
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
mathematics-logic
resolved
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
In many regions, a lack of real competition among providers allows companies to charge more than a competitive market would allow. Enforcing genuine competition in these industries remains a persistent regulatory challenge.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
industries
real
yet
prevent
monopolistic
pricing
few
competitors
like
internet
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
way
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
GDP growth doesn't capture things like wellbeing, environmental health, or inequality, yet it remains the default measure of a country's economic success. A broader, widely adopted alternative measure remains unsettled.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
mental-health
measure
widely
economic
gdp
growth
don
have
accepted
way
progress
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
High student debt loads are pushing back decisions like buying a home or starting a family for many young adults. Rebalancing the cost of education against its long-term benefits remains a persistent economic problem.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
student
debt
young
adults
haven
solved
prevent
excessive
loan
delaying
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
determine