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
Lava tubes offer natural radiation shielding for habitats, but traditional wheeled rovers cannot enter steep vertical entrances. Tethered, legged, or flying drone swarms designed for dark micro-gravity caves are needed.
health-biology
global-unspecified
sub-surface
cave
networks
mars
moon
difficult
map
explore
autonomously
lava
cannot
precisely
predict
hyper
science-space
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
Energetic protons and electrons in Earth's Van Allen belts degrade standard solar panel efficiency over time. Radiation-hardened perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells are needed to maintain high power-to-weight ratios.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
solar
cells
lack
ultra-lightweight
high-efficiency
resistant
orbital
radiation
degradation
energetic
science-space
whether
power
haven
small
mathematics-logic
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
Commercial point-to-point rocket or scramjet transit is limited to ocean routes due to severe atmospheric shockwaves. Low-boom aerodynamic shaping and active acoustic damping technologies must be developed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
sub-orbital
hypersonic
passenger
vehicles
cause
extreme
noise
pollution
sonic
booms
preventing
automated
economics-resources
urban
major
ocean
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While optical communication offers high bandwidth, cloud cover blocks laser signals from deep space probes to Earth ground stations. Dynamically routed global ground-station networks and satellite relays are needed.
science-space
global-unspecified
optical
laser
ground
stations
cloud
cover
severely
degraded
atmospheric
weather
technology-computing
space
satellite
whether
earth
radio
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
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Objects originating from outside our solar system pass through at extreme hyperbolic velocities with minimal discovery lead-time. High-delta-v interceptor platforms on standby in deep space orbits are required for defense.
science-space
global-unspecified
defense
objects
lack
operational
planetary
mechanism
deflect
large
fast-moving
interstellar
climate-environment
space
high
autonomous
docking
Over 80% of workers in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal operate within informal economies without access to pensions, disability insurance, or minimum wage guarantees. Traditional bureaucratic tax and welfare systems fail to track or protect these transient and cash-reliant populations during economic shocks.
economics-resources
asia
india
informal
workers
haven
found
effective
mechanism
extend
formal
social
safety
global-unspecified
systems
african
technology-computing
settlements
In archipelagic nations like the Philippines, vulnerable households repeatedly lose livestock, crops, and home infrastructure to severe seasonal storms. Standard microfinance models often default during disasters, compounding debt cycles rather than relieving poverty.
climate-environment
asia
philippines
poverty
haven
developed
climate-resilient
financial
instruments
prevent
coastal
communities
falling
global-unspecified
economics-resources
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
In major agricultural and industrial manufacturing regions across East and South Asia, overuse of antibiotics in livestock and unmonitored factory discharge have accelerated the proliferation of drug-resistant pathogens, threatening global healthcare systems.
health-biology
asia
india
agricultural
haven
halted
rapid
surge
antimicrobial
resistance
driven
unregulated
pharmaceutical
global-unspecified
systems
climate-environment
whether
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
High pupil-to-teacher ratios in low-income schools often result in 'learning poverty,' where children complete primary school without basic functional literacy. Current retraining programs for rural educators struggle to scale effectively.
social-civic-problems
asia
cambodia
literacy
primary
haven
successfully
modernised
foundational
numeracy
pedagogy
over-crowded
classrooms
global-unspecified
children
students
low
school
