Cold fusion: Now there’s an idea I hadn’t thought about in a while. It came back onto my radar in spring 2026. I had written an article on how scientists tend to be risk averse, and Huw Price, a...

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Black holes are known for colliding and merging, producing gravitational waves, but the idea of a black hole splitting into two has been considered highly improbable due to their immense gravitational pull. However, a recent study by European scientists explores the theoretical possibility of black hole fragmentation under specific conditions. The research, led by Francesco Sannino from the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Southern Denmark, along with colleagues Giacomo Cacciapaglia, Manuel Del Piano, and Vania Vellucci, examines how a rapidly rotating black hole might fragment into two separate entities. The team's calculations suggest that if a black hole rotates close to its maximum possible rate, it could theoretically split, forming what they describe as a 'pair-of-pants topology'—where the event horizon takes on a shape resembling two legs of a pair of pants. For this fragmentation to occur, the resulting black holes must separate quickly to avoid recombining. The study also addresses the thermodynamic challenge: breaking a non-rotating black hole into two would reduce its entropy, making the process unlikely. However, for a rapidly spinning black hole, the relationship between mass, angular momentum, and entropy could allow fragmentation. The researchers note that primordial black holes, which are smaller, might be more prone to splitting than larger astrophysical black holes. They suggest that indirect detection methods, such as gamma-ray telescopes like Fermi-LAT, could potentially identify signals from tiny black-hole fragments formed during mergers. While the phenomenon remains theoretical and has not been observed, the study opens new avenues for understanding black hole dynamics beyond Einstein's theory of gravity. The team emphasizes that the probability of such an event depends on how gravity behaves beyond current theoretical frameworks, and further research is needed to quantify this possibility.

Black holes are known for colliding and merging, producing gravitational waves, but the idea of a black hole splitting into two has been considered highly improbable due to their immense gravitational pull. However, a recent study by European scientists explores the theoretical possibility of black hole fragmentation under specific conditions. The research, led by Francesco Sannino from the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Southern Denmark, along with colleagues Giacomo Cacciapaglia, Manuel Del Piano, and Vania Vellucci, examines how a rapidly rotating black hole might fragment into two separate entities. The team's calculations suggest that if a black hole rotates close to its maximum possible rate, it could theoretically split, forming what they describe as a 'pair-of-pants topology'—where the event horizon takes on a shape resembling two legs of a pair of pants. For this fragmentation to occur, the resulting black holes must separate quickly to avoid recombining. The study also addresses the thermodynamic challenge: breaking a non-rotating black hole into two would reduce its entropy, making the process unlikely. However, for a rapidly spinning black hole, the relationship between mass, angular momentum, and entropy could allow fragmentation. The researchers note that primordial black holes, which are smaller, might be more prone to splitting than larger astrophysical black holes. They suggest that indirect detection methods, such as gamma-ray telescopes like Fermi-LAT, could potentially identify signals from tiny black-hole fragments formed during mergers. While the phenomenon remains theoretical and has not been observed, the study opens new avenues for understanding black hole dynamics beyond Einstein's theory of gravity. The team emphasizes that the probability of such an event depends on how gravity behaves beyond current theoretical frameworks, and further research is needed to quantify this possibility.