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
Martian dust storms and atmospheric tides cause rapid density shifts that alter entry trajectories and threaten landers. Real-time satellite atmosphere sensing and adaptive guidance systems are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
atmospheric
entry
density
high-density
planetary
prediction
inaccurate
due
variable
upper-atmosphere
systems
real
time
society-governance
detecting
sensing
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
Variable space weather causes unpredictable upper atmosphere expansion, creating atmospheric drag that alters satellite orbits without warning. Space situational awareness requires real-time upper-atmosphere mapping.
science-space
global-unspecified
lack
precise
continuous
monitoring
earth
thermosphere
ionosphere
mass
density
space
enabling
society-governance
technologies
systems
know
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
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is ambiguous regarding commercial resource extraction and private property. Clear, enforceable international frameworks are needed to encourage private investment in off-world mining.
science-space
global-unspecified
private
mining
property
there
standardized
legal
framework
asteroid
rights
orbital
society-governance
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Radiation-induced genetic mutations build up silently, increasing crew cancer risks on long space missions. Handheld micro-sequencers capable of real-time DNA/RNA error profiling are required in orbit.
science-space
global-unspecified
real-time
capable
dna
lack
biosensors
detecting
mutation
rates
astronauts
during
systems
real
time
society-governance
responding
predicting
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
Permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles reach -240°C, making metals and polymers brittle and prone to shattering. Special cryogenic-resistant alloys and thermal insulation jackets are required.
society-governance
global-unspecified
lunar
reach
permanent
night
regions
near
absolute
zero
causing
severe
industrial
scale
propellant
structural
long
lack
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
Capturing dead satellites or space debris requires catching uncontrolled objects without causing collision fragments. Advanced computer vision, robotic capture arms, and net-based soft capture systems are required.
science-space
global-unspecified
space
objects
autonomous
docking
between
non-cooperative
tumbling
remains
high
risk
systems
society-governance
designs
governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Converting Mars' 95% CO2 atmosphere into plastics, methane, and industrial reagents requires complex catalysts that foul quickly. High-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis systems optimized for dirty ambient gas are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
industrial
cannot
reliably
synthesize
high-purity
chemicals
martian
atmospheric
carbon
dioxide
methane
systems
society-governance
fast
growing
high
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As microchips shrink, energetic cosmic particles flip memory bits more frequently, freezing flight computers. Ultra-reliable fault-tolerant voting architectures and magnetic RAM must be deployed across satellite buses.
science-space
global-unspecified
cosmic
satellite
ray
impacts
trigger
single-event
upsets
orbit
causing
catastrophic
galactic
shielding
society-governance
source
energy
yet
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Standard Extravehicular Mobility Units vent water into space to keep astronauts cool, depleting habitat reserves. Closed-loop heat pump suits or phase-change cooling garments need to be integrated into next-gen suits.
science-space
global-unspecified
water
space
cooling
current
suit
systems
rely
sublimation
wasting
critical
climate-environment
whether
urban
philosophy-ethics
cities
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While microgravity (0g) is well-studied, long-term multi-generational plant reproduction under lunar (0.16g) or Martian (0.38g) gravity is unverified. Long-term surface greenhouse experiments are urgently needed.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
long-term
gravity
plant
not
know
biological
effects
fractional
growth
seed
long
term
systems
whether
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
Seasonal crop burning, industrial emissions, and vehicle exhaust generate high concentrations of PM2.5 across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, shaving years off average life expectancy without unified cross-border environmental governance.
climate-environment
asia
nepal
air-pollution
haven
effectively
mitigated
life-shortening
particulate
air
pollution
major
south
asian
global-unspecified
quality
urban
african
Despite rising educational attainment among young women, regional female workforce participation remains among the lowest globally due to unpaid care burdens, safety concerns, and entrenched patriarchal property rights.
social-civic-problems
asia
india
female
participation
haven
dismantled
socio-legal
barriers
restrict
labor
force
south
economics-resources
global-unspecified
remains
society-governance
care
Online abuse, non-consensual image sharing, and cyber-stalking targeting women and girls are surging across Southeast Asia, outpacing existing legal definitions and digital safety enforcement mechanisms.
technology-computing
asia
malaysia
digital
haven
eradicated
technology-facilitated
gender-based
violence
harassment
platforms
online
abuse
african
global-unspecified
society-governance
remains
social-civic-problems
Indigenous peoples routinely lack formal land titles to ancestral territories, leading to forced displacement and loss of livelihoods when lands are designated for industrial agriculture, mining, or forestry concessions.
economics-resources
asia
laos
land
indigenous
haven
resolved
tenure
insecurity
tribal
minority
communities
southeast
climate-environment
global-unspecified
society-governance
climate
lack
Millions of informal recyclers form the backbone of Asian urban waste processing, yet they work under dangerous, toxic conditions without official recognition, equipment, or social safety protections.
local-regional
asia
india
waste-management
waste
informal
haven
integrated
pickers
modern
municipal
solid
management
systems
climate-environment
society-governance
economics-resources
global-unspecified
