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
History has shown some conjectures hold for enormous ranges before finally failing, raising the unresolved question of how confidently mathematicians can ever trust patterns observed only in finite testing. This shapes ongoing debates about the reliability of computational evidence in mathematics.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
haven
proven
whether
every
mathematical
theorem
holds
true
small
cases
know
resolved
philosophy-ethics
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While unique prime factorization is proven for standard whole numbers, extending and confirming similar uniqueness properties across various generalized number systems remains an unresolved area. This continues to shape research in algebraic number theory.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
number
proven
unique
haven
whether
every
sufficiently
large
has
way
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
possible
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Statistical and mathematical tools can detect many kinds of patterns efficiently, but a fully general and guaranteed method covering every possible hidden pattern type remains an unresolved theoretical question. This connects pure mathematics with the practical challenges of modern data analysis.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
possible
fully
method
hidden
patterns
pure
mathematical
analysis
haven
proven
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Washing machines release countless tiny plastic fibers from synthetic fabrics into wastewater, and most filtration systems aren't designed to catch particles this small. This steady stream of microplastic pollution remains largely unaddressed at the source.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
plastic
systems
synthetic
don
have
way
prevent
microfibers
shedding
water
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Desalination plants typically discharge extremely salty brine back into the ocean, which can harm nearby marine ecosystems if not managed carefully. A cleaner, more sustainable desalination process remains technically unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
haven
found
affordable
way
desalinate
water
producing
large
amounts
concentrated
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
prevent
open
United States, North America
Some of the world's largest aquifers are being pumped for irrigation and drinking water far faster than natural processes can refill them. Once fully depleted, these ancient water reserves may take centuries to recover, if they recover at all.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
fully
aquifers
yet
prevent
depletion
groundwater
took
thousands
years
form
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sustainable aviation fuel exists but remains far more expensive and limited in supply than traditional jet fuel, keeping airline adoption slow. Scaling production to meet real demand remains an unresolved industry challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
fuel
sustainable
aviation
airline
haven
found
way
make
available
large
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A fungal disease combined with habitat destruction has driven sharp declines in amphibian populations across many regions, and effective large-scale intervention remains limited. Protecting these ecologically important species remains an unresolved conservation priority.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
amphibian
populations
disease
habitat
yet
fully
prevent
decline
linked
loss
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
resolved
determine
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many reforestation projects plant fast-growing single species rather than rebuilding complex, biodiverse forest ecosystems, which limits their true ecological value. Making these projects genuinely restorative rather than just visually green remains an unresolved challenge.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
projects
reforestation
rebuilding
biodiverse
forest
ecosystems
haven
solved
make
large-scale
philosophy-ethics
whether
climate-environment
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Larger plastic debris eventually breaks down into microplastics that are ingested by marine life and can work their way up the food chain to humans. Preventing this breakdown process or removing microplastics at scale remains technically unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
microplastics
plastic
down
food
chain
yet
fully
prevent
damage
caused
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A large share of organic waste still ends up in landfills producing methane simply because industrial composting infrastructure isn't available in enough regions. Building this capacity out at the scale needed remains an unresolved waste management challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
waste-management
waste
composting
available
enough
regions
organic
haven
found
way
make
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudulent warranty claims, sometimes supported by AI-generated fake documentation or images, can cost manufacturers significant money if not caught before payout. Detecting this kind of fraud at scale remains an unresolved operational challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
fake
warranty
manufacturers
haven
solved
prevent
large-scale
automated
claim
scams
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Defenses against these attacks, which flood a target with traffic to knock it offline, can sometimes inadvertently slow down real users as well while filtering out malicious requests. A cleaner separation between attack and legitimate traffic remains technically difficult.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
traffic
against
attacks
down
legitimate
don
have
network
protocols
fully
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Migrating decades-old databases to modern systems carries real risk of subtle data corruption or loss, and fully automated, zero-risk migration tools remain unavailable for many complex legacy systems. This keeps organizations tied to outdated, harder-to-maintain infrastructure.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
systems
legacy
databases
risk
data
loss
build
software
automatically
safely
society-governance
whether
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
philosophy-ethics
across
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Bots or incentivized fake responses can flood academic research surveys, introducing unreliable data that researchers may not always catch before drawing conclusions. Improving survey integrity verification remains an unresolved methodological challenge.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
fake
academic
survey
responses
research
data
integrity
haven
solved
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
society-governance
way
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standard routers often struggle to provide consistent coverage in homes with thick walls or unusual layouts, leaving dead zones that require additional equipment to fix. A truly universal, affordable solution remains undeveloped.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
affordable
routers
coverage
homes
don
have
home
internet
reliably
maintain
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
agreed
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Modern hearing aids remain prohibitively expensive for a large share of the global population that could benefit from them, leaving hearing loss untreated in many communities. Making this technology genuinely affordable at scale remains unresolved.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
hearing
technology
affordable
haven
solved
make
aid
enough
widespread
lower-income
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Illegal wildlife trade pushes species toward extinction while operating largely undetected across international borders. A more coordinated global tracking system could catch this trade before, not after, populations collapse.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
system
tracking
wildlife
don
have
reliable
stopping
trafficking
trade
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Space missions are still largely framed as national or corporate accomplishments rather than shared human ones, even though the benefits and risks affect everyone. A more collaborative model could accelerate progress and broaden its benefits.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
shared
national
haven
solved
make
exploration
not
just
achievement
society-governance
benefits
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
mechanisms
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Prime numbers appear to follow patterns at large scales but seem random up close, and mathematicians still lack a full explanation for this behavior. Understanding it better could improve encryption methods that rely on primes.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
prime
numbers
don
have
complete
theory
predicting
distributed
appear
follow
whether
know
haven
philosophy-ethics
every
possible