New Black Hole Theory Challenges 110-Year Understanding of Singularities

Peer-reviewed paper proposes black hole singularities mark spacetime breakdown, not physical infinities.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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A new peer-reviewed physics paper presents an alternative explanation for what happens at the centers of black holes. For over a century, black hole singularities have been described as points of infinite curvature, but many physicists consider this unphysical. The paper proposes that singularities do not represent physical infinities, but instead mark the point where the mathematical description of spacetime breaks down, similar to how materials fail under extreme stress. The research introduces a mechanical failure condition for spacetime and identifies a clear threshold where the continuum description no longer applies, without altering any tested predictions of general relativity outside the event horizon.

Why it matters

This new framework provides a physically grounded way to understand black hole singularities without invoking infinite quantities, which many physicists have long considered unsatisfactory. It challenges the 110-year-old understanding of singularities as physical infinities, potentially leading to new insights about the nature of spacetime and gravity at the most extreme scales.

The details

The paper, published in the European Physical Journal Plus, uses established equations from general relativity to identify a clear threshold where the continuum description of spacetime breaks down. This mechanical failure condition for spacetime is similar to how materials fail under extreme stress or how fluid models fail at small scales. The proposed framework does not alter any tested predictions of general relativity outside the event horizon, meaning observable black hole behavior remains unchanged.

  • The paper was published online on January 7, 2026.

The players

Michael Aaron Cody

An independent theoretical physicist with more than 20 years of self-directed study and 10 years of university work. His research focuses on first-principles approaches to long-standing problems in physics and has been published across multiple peer-reviewed journals and research outlets.

European Physical Journal Plus

An international physics journal published by Springer Nature that published the peer-reviewed paper.

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What they’re saying

“Black holes don't contain real infinities. They mark where our description of reality breaks. Spacetime has a breaking point, and this paper defines it.”

— Michael Aaron Cody (24-7pressrelease.com)

The takeaway

This new theory challenges the long-standing understanding of black hole singularities as physical infinities, proposing instead that they mark the breakdown of our mathematical description of spacetime. If validated, this could lead to significant advances in our comprehension of gravity and the nature of reality at the most extreme scales.