World Solve

Dissection problems, which ask how shapes can be cut and rearranged, often lack complete general solutions beyond specific well-studied cases. This remains an open and often surprisingly difficult area of combinatorial geometry.

Some philosophical traditions argue meaningful experiences hold deeper value than accumulated possessions, while others see this distinction as less clear-cut than it first appears. This unresolved question shapes broader debates about consumerism and what truly constitutes a fulfilling life.

Parts of the Greenland ice sheet may have already crossed tipping points where melting continues regardless of future emissions cuts. Understanding and potentially slowing this process remains one of climate science's most urgent unresolved challenges.

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.

Old-growth forests support unique biodiversity that can't simply be replaced by planting new trees, since the ecological complexity takes centuries to develop. Protecting the last remaining old-growth forests remains an urgent, unresolved conservation priority.

As farmland expands to meet growing food demand, it frequently cuts through pathways that wildlife species depend on for seasonal migration. Balancing agricultural needs with preserving these corridors remains an unresolved land-use challenge.

Independent journalism is being restricted or shut down in many parts of the world, cutting off citizens from reliable information about their own governments. Protecting press freedom remains an unresolved struggle in much of the world.

Millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, and cleanup efforts remove only a small fraction of it. Without cutting the source and scaling removal, marine ecosystems will keep absorbing the damage.

Billions of people still lack reliable, affordable internet, cutting them off from education, healthcare information, and economic opportunity. Closing this gap remains a matter of infrastructure cost, not lack of demand.

Smallholder farmers in Myanmar lose a substantial share of harvested grain to pests, mold, and poor storage before it ever reaches market, largely due to the cost of hermetic storage technology.

The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for scalable interventions improving executive function after chronic stress creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.

Design systems that remain usable for people with limited literacy, disability, low connectivity, language barriers, or insecure documentation. The challenge is especially acute in remote island communities, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Create conservation and restoration approaches that protect biodiversity while sustaining the people whose food, income, and culture depend on those ecosystems. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Develop practical data collection, modeling, public deliberation, and evaluation tools for decisions currently made with incomplete or inaccessible evidence. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Create safe, economically viable collection, sorting, repair, reuse, and material-recovery systems suited to decentralized local markets. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Develop enforceable, worker-centered protections for safety, pay, benefits, bargaining, and grievance resolution outside conventional employment. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Build affordable monitoring and response systems that identify local environmental threats before they become chronic public-health crises. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Create accountable methods for prioritizing limited water, housing, health, energy, and social-protection resources without reinforcing local inequality. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Develop local skills, spare-parts access, inspection methods, and financing so public infrastructure continues functioning after installation. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.

Create transparent financial mechanisms that help households and local institutions prepare for recurrent shocks before emergency aid is needed. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.