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
Invasive plant species can spread aggressively in forest understories, crowding out native plants that many forest animals depend on for food and habitat. Effective, scalable control of this lower-profile but significant ecological threat remains incomplete.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
forest
scalable
native
plants
invasive
species
don
have
way
prevent
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
agreed
resolved
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
Sophisticated fake prescriptions generated with AI assistance can be difficult for pharmacies to distinguish from legitimate ones without additional verification steps. Closing this gap remains an urgent unresolved challenge for pharmaceutical safety.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fake
prescriptions
yet
build
technology
reliably
detects
ai-generated
medical
illegally
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
way
prevent
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
Entirely fabricated conference proceedings, complete with fake papers and attendee lists, could potentially be used to pad academic resumes without detection. Verifying the legitimacy of claimed academic activities remains an unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
academic
fake
conference
proceedings
haven
solved
prevent
systems
generating
convincing
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Automated phone systems using AI can sometimes fail to correctly route urgent or unusual complaints, leaving customers stuck in unhelpful loops during time-sensitive situations. Improving reliability in these systems for edge cases remains an unresolved design challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
customer
phone
urgent
complaints
haven
found
way
prevent
ai-driven
fake
systems
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Entirely AI-generated academic theses can be difficult for reviewers to distinguish from genuine student work without specialized detection tools, and these tools remain imperfect. Protecting the integrity of academic credentials remains an ongoing unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
academic
ai-generated
build
fully
reliable
systems
detect
fake
thesis
dissertation
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
prevent
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Certain rare minerals essential for chip production are concentrated in regions with political instability or poor labor practices, creating both ethical and supply chain risks. Finding viable alternatives or more responsible sourcing remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
supply-chain
regions
don
have
way
manufacture
computer
chips
relying
materials
mined
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current exoskeleton technology can help people regain some mobility, but cost and bulkiness keep it out of reach for most who could benefit. Making this technology both affordable and comfortable for daily use remains unresolved.
health-biology
global-unspecified
affordable
comfortable
people
mobility
build
robotic
exoskeletons
enough
widespread
everyday
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
determine
resolved
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
GPS doesn't work well inside buildings, and alternative indoor positioning technologies haven't achieved the same reliability and ease of deployment needed for widespread augmented reality navigation use. Solving indoor positioning at scale remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
augmented
reality
navigation
work
gps
build
systems
accurate
enough
reliably
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
climate-environment
economics-resources
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
Battery life claims often assume light use, and demanding tasks like video editing or gaming can drain a laptop's battery in just a few hours. Meaningfully extending battery life under heavy real-world use remains an unresolved hardware challenge.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
laptop
heavy
battery
don
have
batteries
last
full
workday
needing
whether
determine
resolved
way
agreed
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Foldable phone screens still show creasing and wear over time in ways rigid screens don't, raising questions about long-term durability for a technology marketed as a long-term investment. Solving this material science challenge remains ongoing.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
screens
foldable
wear
haven
found
way
make
smartphone
durable
enough
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Video calls in poorly lit rooms often still look grainy or dark despite software attempts to compensate, particularly on lower-end hardware. Better real-time image enhancement without expensive hardware remains an unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
video
software
compensate
don
have
reliable
way
make
webcams
calling
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Bluetooth technology has improved over the years but still occasionally suffers from connection drops, audio lag, or pairing failures that frustrate everyday users. A fully seamless wireless connection experience remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
bluetooth
pairing
haven
solved
make
connections
between
devices
consistently
reliable
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
possible
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
United States, North America
Even devices marketed for outdoor visibility can become difficult to read in direct sunlight, limiting usability during many common outdoor activities. A fully effective, affordable anti-glare solution remains elusive.
economics-resources
north-america
united-states
outdoor
devices
fully
sunlight
haven
found
way
make
screen
glare
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Smart thermostats have improved efficiency, but many systems still require manual adjustment to truly optimize comfort without wasting energy throughout changing conditions. Fully automated, effective climate optimization remains an unresolved technical challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
systems
smart
comfort
energy
efficiency
yet
build
air
conditioning
heating
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
society-governance
technology-computing
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even with modern software, video calls still frequently suffer from lag, echo, or audio dropouts that disrupt natural conversation flow. Achieving truly seamless audio parity with in-person interaction remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
audio
quality
video
in-person
conversation
haven
solved
make
conferencing
consistently
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
