AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. The approach must scale before formal institutions, infrastructure, and land-use systems fully catch up with population growth. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
Global standards for AI-designed proteins with community ownership
open
Global, Global
AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. Affected communities must have meaningful control over data, revenue, deployment decisions, and the right to refuse harmful applications. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
Global standards for AI-designed proteins under geopolitical fragmentation
open
South Africa, Africa
AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. The design must remain functional when standards, trade routes, data access, and diplomatic cooperation are unreliable. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
AI-designed drugs will require new regulatory science approaches.
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Models may generate candidate molecules rapidly, challenging traditional assessment. Simulation-based validation and adaptive regulatory frameworks will be needed.
The detailed chemistry of prebiotic molecules in interstellar space is incompletely known.
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Complex organics exist in clouds, but pathways are unclear. Laboratory astrochemistry and radio observations can reveal reaction networks.
We lack ultra-sensitive, miniaturized instruments to detect low concentrations of bio-organic molecules.
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Robotic planetary landers are restricted by payload weight and power, making complex lab chemistry difficult on site. Micro-fluidic lab-on-a-chip biosensors are required to analyze Martian or icy moon soil in-situ.