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A living collection from the Altringer Eagle Lab at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. Problems come from expert input and from what experts publish: research agendas, standards roadmaps, agency reports. The Problem Genome system drafts each write-up, and its sources are checked before it enters the collection. It can make mistakes. It exists to put problem definition at the center of innovation. Problem definitions here can be cited, and so can improvements to them. Teams can reach domain knowledge early and contribute what they learn.

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Genome › Breakthrough needed

Breakthrough needed · gene 1 of 15

smarter math or software

210 problems carry this gene · breakthrough:algorithm

The bottleneck is a calculation nobody knows how to do well enough: predicting how a material behaves, routing vehicles or scheduling scarce resources, proving that safety-critical software can't fail. The physical pieces often exist already. What is needed is a better method for turning inputs into reliable answers. That can mean machine learning, optimization and control, or formal mathematical verification.

Related genes

stitching data togetherdata-integrationthe answers are spread across incompatible datasets and systems that no one has joined into one pipeline a way to see itsensingnobody can detect or measure the thing yet, and progress waits on a new way to observe it joining separate fieldsknowledge-integrationthe answer needs methods from different disciplines that have never been combined into one framework can't measure what mattersdatathe data needed to understand or improve the situation is missing, inaccessible, or too poor to use

How to recognize it

Ask what a solver would build. If the deliverable is a method, model, or analysis, this gene applies. Check that the limit is the method and that the data exists. If no one has collected the inputs, the problem sits upstream of the algorithm.

Our system re-reads samples blind to test genes like this one. Genes it disagrees on are drawn dashed.

210 problems in 19 fields. Filter them, then share the link.

field: the built worldhalf a border is no borderbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe stomach that won't emptyit fell between the crackshigh field: the built worldtwice the steel it needsbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: food & the living worldthe vaccine hid the signalit fell between the cracksneeds sourcing field: water & energyleak metrics that lie when taps run drymeasured the wrong thinghigh field: the built worldcounts of unknown accuracybuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: the built worldpollinator meadow or deer blind?tested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldcameras that cry wolf on the trackstested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldfog between the sensors and the satellitetested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldthe pole that whips oncetested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learningthe armband says you're finetested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningno tool for a rotating jobtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinetwelve times too many patientstested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldaprons as a proxy for salmonellameasured the wrong thingmedium field: food & the living worldmodels that stop at the loading docktested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe error is in the scoop, not the kitbuilt without the people who'd live with itneeds sourcing field: food & the living worldthe stations that fall silentthe economics don't workhigh field: water & energywells nobody wrote downtested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learningtutoring the wrong percentiletested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learningaveraging a moving targetbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: society & learningskills nobody mappedthe economics don't workhigh field: society & learningearly grades off the mapbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: society & learningon top of paskettitested in the wrong worldmedium field: digital & spacesealed inboxesthe economics don't workmedium field: water & energymeasuring heat loss in a lived-in housetested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldwhen is wet timber dry enough?tested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldcracks you cannot rule outtested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldbridges with no bottomtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldtwo numbers for the same fieldtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe trees the cutters cannot seetested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energywhen the lights go out on the loanthe economics don't workmedium field: digital & spaceno cash at the end of the linethe economics don't workmedium field: water & energyblooms turn deadly before the lab results returntested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacedocking uninvited at twenty-eight thousand km/htested in the wrong worldmedium field: digital & spacelaser links that clouds can killtested in the wrong worldmedium field: digital & spaceten thousand satellites, no traffic controltested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldbarnacles add billions in fuel, unmeasuredtested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldships trust position data from strangerstested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldfishing boats that go darktested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldmining the abyss, blind to the plumetested in the wrong worldmedium field: making & materialssimulated decades, real surprisestested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldthe building runs on protocols with no passwordstested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicineperfect on competition day, blind in the clinictested in the wrong worldmedium field: health & medicinea hundred formats, no translationbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energysame gas, four diagnosesthe rules got in the waymedium field: water & energyfifteen billion dollars of sludgetested in the wrong worldmedium field: water & energydrill for heat, trigger the quaketested in the wrong worldmedium field: water & energyso many alarms, none get answeredtested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningmost learning happens at work, no certificate followsbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: society & learningwe test ethics knowledge, not ethics practicemeasured the wrong thinghigh field: digital & spacethe bill of materials is missing most partsit fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spacethe satellite can't see the settlements that need ittested in the wrong worldmedium field: digital & spacethe scoreboard is corruptedtested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldninety percent false alarms, workers stop listeningtested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldfive mechanisms, no combined modeltested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldtwo engineers, two verdicts, one bridgetested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsthe drug crystallizes however it wantstested in the wrong worldmedium field: making & materialsthe catalyst dies on its own scheduletested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldsame circuit, different organism, different outputtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldsame soil, three hundred percent aparttested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worlddesertification measured by the wrong maptested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldbreeding slower than the climatetested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacebig enough to kill, too small to tracktested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe ocean's bandwidth is almost zerotested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsno standard says when a robot falls safelythe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldasphalt graded for yesterday's weathertested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldthe robot gets lost on the job sitetested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldwaiting for concrete to cure, guessing whentested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningnobody agrees how many people are in the camptested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningmental health apps with no safety proofbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: society & learningno id, no aidthe rules got in the waymedium field: society & learningthe names we cannot returntested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldevery city counts its emissions differentlytested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learninga thousand ways to name the same skillit fell between the cracksmedium field: society & learningthe degree burned with the universityit fell between the cracksmedium field: society & learningthe algorithm marks down how you talktested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacewho made thistested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spaceis it biology or just a different labtested in the wrong worldmedium field: digital & spacepassive surfaces can't hear what they reflectit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacehandoff at seventeen thousand miles per hourtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacecertified the day it shipped, never againthe rules got in the wayhigh field: digital & spaceevery tool call compounds the errortested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldweeks to turn a scan into a modeltested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldmixed rubble, no way to sort ittested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldbetter nets, more bycatchtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinethe tumor evolves faster than the plantested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinetoo far from the nearest hospitalbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinediagnosed decades too latemeasured the wrong thinghigh field: health & medicinebreathing blindit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicinelistening to the heartbeat, missing the breathmeasured the wrong thinghigh field: health & medicinesepsis outruns the doctortested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinethe mouse said it was safetested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinethe cardiologist is three counties awayit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energyefficiency feeds the machinethe rules got in the wayhigh field: digital & spaceoptimized for clicks, amplified to harmmeasured the wrong thinghigh field: food & the living worldthe only resistance gene is failingtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldevery spray breeds the next survivortested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe payout comes when it shouldn'ttested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldsick land with no diagnosistested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energynot on the sensor's listtested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energythe slow leaks nobody detectstested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldverifying the message takes longer than the braking windowthe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldthe crash the car never trained forit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spaceigniting fuel in a thousandth of a secondtested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsthe part warps when you fire ittested in the wrong worldmedium field: health & medicinethe robot waits for every commandtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinethe socket fit is still a guessit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicinesent home during the deadliest windowbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: health & medicineside effects only some people reportbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: food & the living worldthe fraud detector that misses the fraudtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worlda parasite only a lab can findtested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldninety-eight percent of u.s. chemicals, never assessedtested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energythe turbines behind get cheatedtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacemissing data that isn't randomtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacemillions of parts, no map of the wholeit fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spacesafety-critical ai with no benchmarkmeasured the wrong thingmedium field: digital & spacebreak one model, break them allit fell between the cracksmedium field: the built worldmonitoring built for new buildings, not old onesit fell between the crackshigh field: the built worldcatches every fall except a real onetested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsdisassembly without a playbookit fell between the crackshigh field: the built worldcollision avoidance that stops at the yard gatebuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: making & materialswhat every hand can do, no robot cantested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacequantum computers that can't simulate chemistryit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacethe densest matter in the universe, unstudiedit fell between the crackshigh field: making & materialsautonomous labs with no safety manualit fell between the crackshigh field: making & materialsfrom atoms to buildings, the math breaksit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spaceconfident predictions, no error barsit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spaceproof beyond the machine's reachit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicinethe oximeter lies about darker skinbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe ventilator has a password problembuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe algorithm moved on, the approval didn'tthe rules got in the wayhigh field: health & medicinecleared by a ghost devicethe rules got in the wayhigh field: digital & spacesome solar storms kill, and we can't tell whichtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacethe bigger the mirror, the blurrier the viewtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spaceeverything registers except dark matterit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacea planet lost in its star's glaretested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe sensors die before the science maturestested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsthe lab robot can't read its own resultstested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsforty years and still no stronger magnetit fell between the crackshigh field: making & materialsatoms to engineering, the middle is missingit fell between the crackshigh field: making & materialsa decade to design each catalystit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicineblood cultures fail the smallest patientstested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinewe traded the culture for blindnesstested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe eye that doesn't exist yettested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldnobody knows how much water the snow holdstested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldmeasuring ice loss at the wrong resolutiontested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe ice model and the climate model won't mergetested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energypromised megawatts, delivered by weatherit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energynothing survives the sun's edgetested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energydeep water wind, deeper costsit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energywinter halves the batterybuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energythe reactor runs, the budget doesn'tthe rules got in the wayhigh field: digital & spaceten times the data, same computing budgetbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: digital & spaceten million alerts before dawntested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldfire models stop where buildings startit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacechiplets run hot and nobody can model whytested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldfive billion tonnes of carbon, unmeasuredtested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsthe microbe thrives in the flask, dies in the tanktested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldbuilding codes that ignore the tornado's spinthe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldmaterials rated for a climate that's gonethe rules got in the wayhigh field: health & medicinethe robot needs a therapist toobuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicineworks on the bench, fails in the fieldtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldtwice the atmosphere's carbon, thawing unmodeledtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldcould be centuries, could be decadestested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldevery hillside plays by different rulestested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldprospecting by luck in the clean energy ageit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worlddisasters that multiply, models that don'tit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldthe biggest unknown in the climate forecasttested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energycarbon in, chaos outtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacesolar storms arrive before the forecastit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacethe training data might be lyingit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacelearning by crashing is not an optiontested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spaceno proof for the neural network insideit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacechoose privacy or accuracy, not bothit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacespectrum sharing that only works in theorytested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacesafe alone, dangerous togetherit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldmicrobial communities that refuse to be engineeredtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldan alphabet no one can readit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldwill they adapt or collapse, nobody knowsit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldthe genome isn't the blueprintit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldbillions in monitoring, forecasts still failtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldcounting species faster than they vanishtested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacegrabbing a tumbling satellite nobody controlsit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energytwo million miles of pipe, no failure maptested in the wrong worldmedium field: the built worldsmart defenses for dumb controllersbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldfood needs water, neither system talksit fell between the cracksmedium field: food & the living worldimmutable records of unverified factstested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energytwenty-five hundred gigawatts in linethe rules got in the waymedium field: digital & spacea mirror with no reflectionit fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spacebig ai, small datait fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spaceexplain the defense, expose the weaknesstested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacesafe when we tested it, untested sinceit fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spacetrusted in parts, trusted by no oneit fell between the cracksmedium field: water & energybus batteries die on the route, not in the labtested in the wrong worldmedium field: health & medicinefaxes to approve a scanit fell between the cracksmedium field: health & medicinethe app was prescribed, the outcome unknownthe rules got in the waymedium field: food & the living worldcarbon sunk in the ocean, uncountedtested in the wrong worldmedium field: water & energythe spinning stops, the frequency driftstested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energythe battery worked in the labtested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energythe building has no twintested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energythe savings were never realmeasured the wrong thinghigh field: food & the living worldonce it sinks, the algorithm loses sighttested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldsatellites see the spill but not its depthtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldaccurate until the storm arrivestested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldbrains rewired by a changed worldmeasured the wrong thinghigh field: the built worldknock out power, lose water, lose everythingtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldmillions of years of r&d, going extinctmeasured the wrong thinghigh field: digital & spaceno proof the robot will behaveit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldevery field varies, every sensor averagesthe economics don't workhigh field: food & the living worldthirty-five years and the sensor still doesn't worktested in the wrong worldhigh