The world's unsolved problems
993 open questions across 14 fields, gathered from Wikipedia. Pick one and start thinking.
Showing all 993 problems · surprise me
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Function of vanadocytes, a type of blood cells found in some tunicates. Vacuoles of vanadocytes are notable for high levels of the metal…
Function of vanadocytes, a type of blood cells found in some tunicates. Vacuoles of vanadocytes are notable for high levels of the metal vanadium and their low pH.
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Metabolism in Henneguya zschokkei, a species of myxozoan. This species of cnidarian was found to lack mitochondria and, therefore, is…
Metabolism in Henneguya zschokkei, a species of myxozoan. This species of cnidarian was found to lack mitochondria and, therefore, is incapable of aerobic respiration.
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Mitochondria in loriciferans living in anoxic conditions. It is unknown whether members of the phylum Loricifera adapted to life in anoxic…
Mitochondria in loriciferans living in anoxic conditions. It is unknown whether members of the phylum Loricifera adapted to life in anoxic conditions in the L'Atalante basin, like Spinoloricus cinziae, have mitochondria.
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Parakaryon. The logistics of how such an organism would arise, function, and persist are unclear, as is whether it is a real creature or…
Parakaryon. The logistics of how such an organism would arise, function, and persist are unclear, as is whether it is a real creature or just an artifact due to its unusual affinities.
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How does life arise from the non-living?
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What are the potentials and limits of living systems?
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How is life related to mind, machines, and culture?
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Can the transition temperature of high-temperature superconductors be brought up to room temperature?
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How do the spin–orbit coupling, other relativistic corrections, and inter-electron effects modify the chemistry of the trans-actinides?
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Is it possible to create a practically useful lithium–air battery?
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How do ions dynamically coordinate and evolve in bulk, interfacial, and confined environments within ultra-concentrated and solid-state…
How do ions dynamically coordinate and evolve in bulk, interfacial, and confined environments within ultra-concentrated and solid-state electrochemical systems?
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How does the full nuclear quantum effect of hydrogen systematically govern the phase behavior, hydrogen bonding, and anomalous properties…
How does the full nuclear quantum effect of hydrogen systematically govern the phase behavior, hydrogen bonding, and anomalous properties of water?
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How can photon energy be efficiently converted into chemical energy, such as splitting water to produce hydrogen, at low cost and high…
How can photon energy be efficiently converted into chemical energy, such as splitting water to produce hydrogen, at low cost and high efficiency?
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Can configurational entropy thermodynamically drive the dynamic equilibrium between sintered nanoparticles and atomically dispersed…
Can configurational entropy thermodynamically drive the dynamic equilibrium between sintered nanoparticles and atomically dispersed catalysts at high temperatures?
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How do single-atom catalysts dynamically evolve under real operating conditions, and how can multi-electron reactions be kinetically…
How do single-atom catalysts dynamically evolve under real operating conditions, and how can multi-electron reactions be kinetically enhanced?
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How do relativistic effects alter the chemical properties of superheavy elements beyond Z=137, and does the periodic table have a definite…
How do relativistic effects alter the chemical properties of superheavy elements beyond Z=137, and does the periodic table have a definite end?
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What is the origin of homochirality in biomolecules?
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Why are accelerated kinetics observed for some organic reactions at the water-organic interface?
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Do replacement reactions of aryl diazonium salts (dediazotizations) predominantly undergo SN1 or a radical mechanism?
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Can an electrochemical cell reliably perform organic redox reactions?
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Which "classic organic chemistry" reactions admit chiral catalysts?
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Can artificial enzymes replace the need for protecting groups when modifying sensitive compounds?
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Can a unified catalytic strategy be developed to construct all-carbon quaternary stereocenters with arbitrary substituents and high…
Can a unified catalytic strategy be developed to construct all-carbon quaternary stereocenters with arbitrary substituents and high enantioselectivity?
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How can the non-radiative decay pathways of photo-excited organic molecules be precisely controlled to maximize quantum yields in…
How can the non-radiative decay pathways of photo-excited organic molecules be precisely controlled to maximize quantum yields in artificial photosynthesis?
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Is it possible to achieve the total synthesis of complex mechanically interlocked molecules (such as high-order catenanes) through purely…
Is it possible to achieve the total synthesis of complex mechanically interlocked molecules (such as high-order catenanes) through purely thermodynamic self-assembly without kinetic trapping?
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Can machine learning models accurately predict the reactivity and selectivity of novel organic transformations solely based on molecular…
Can machine learning models accurately predict the reactivity and selectivity of novel organic transformations solely based on molecular graph representations, bypassing traditional quantum chemical calculations?
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What are the fundamental limits of “click chemistry” in terms of bioorthogonality and reaction kinetics within the crowded environment of a…
What are the fundamental limits of “click chemistry” in terms of bioorthogonality and reaction kinetics within the crowded environment of a living cell?
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Can dynamic covalent chemistry be harnessed to create adaptive materials that exhibit true evolutionary behavior and self-repair…
Can dynamic covalent chemistry be harnessed to create adaptive materials that exhibit true evolutionary behavior and self-repair capabilities under ambient conditions?
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Are there any molecules that certainly contain a phi bond?
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Is there a less labor- or energy-intensive technique for titanium refinement than the Kroll process?
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Data last refreshed 2026-10-20 03:01 UTC.