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Problem Genome Project

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© 2026

Problem Genome Project—N+A Labs at Dartmouth

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C13

The theory needed to solve these problems hasn't been invented yet — and inventing it requires simultaneous contributions from fields that don't currently speak the same language.

The Theory Hasn’t Been Invented Yet

Frontier Science Convergence

10 problems across 10 domains · v4: 8 → v5: 8 → v6: 10

Shared Structural DNA

failure modedisciplinary-silo

failure modetheoretical-gap

breakthroughknowledge-integration

These 10 problems sit at the edge of what science can currently attempt. Predicting how organisms respond to climate requires integrating physiology, ecology, and climate modeling — but no unified framework exists. Organoid intelligence computing requires advancing neuroscience, computer science, and bioengineering simultaneously. The cluster's value is structural: it validates the taxonomy's ability to distinguish 'knowledge exists but isn't integrated' (C5) from 'the foundational theory hasn't been invented yet' (C13).

Member Problems

BIO-genotype-phenotype-prediction-gap

The Genome Isn't the Blueprint

We Still Cannot Predict an Organism's Traits from Its Genome

technical / data

Disciplinary Silos Blocking Convergent Research

BIO-organism-climate-response-prediction

Will They Adapt or Collapse, Nobody Knows

We Cannot Predict Whether Organisms Will Adapt or Collapse Under Climate Change

Data-Constrained Predictive Models Failing at ExtremesDisciplinary Silos Blocking Convergent Research

BIO-synthetic-cell-minimal-requirements

We Cannot Build What We Cannot Define as Alive

We Cannot Build a Synthetic Cell Because We Do Not Know What Makes a Cell Alive

technical / data

BIO-neuro-environmental-adaptation

Brains Rewired by a Changed World

How Nervous Systems Respond to Anthropogenic Environmental Change Is Unknown

technical / data

Disciplinary Silos Blocking Convergent Research

mathematics-ai-uncertainty-quantification-science

Confident Predictions, No Error Bars

Neural Networks Lack Rigorous Uncertainty Quantification for Scientific Predictions

Disciplinary Silos Blocking Convergent Research

mps-multiscale-ai-surrogate-models

From Atoms to Buildings, the Math Breaks

No AI Method Bridges Atomic-to-Continuum Scales with Theoretical Accuracy Guarantees

technical / data

Disciplinary Silos Blocking Convergent Research

digital-ml-component-formal-verification

No Proof for the Neural Network Inside

Formal Verification Methods Break Down When Systems Contain ML Components

technical / regulatory

BIO-organoid-intelligence-computing

Brain Cells in a Dish, Computing Badly

Biological Computing Through Organoid Intelligence Remains an Unrealized Vision

health-quantum-biology-energy-transfer-mechanisms

Quantum Effects in Warm, Wet Cells

Quantum Coherence Persists in Warm Biological Systems but No Theory Explains Why

digital-neuromorphic-computing-cross-discipline-codesign

Four Disciplines, No Common Language

Neuromorphic Computing Requires Co-Design Across Materials, Devices, Circuits, and Algorithms That No Single Discipline Can Provide

technical / data

Domain Spread

agriculture(2)chemistry(1)digital(5)energy(3)environment(4)health(5)infrastructure(1)manufacturing(2)materials(1)ocean(1)