Russian astrophysicist says infinite density at black hole centers remains unresolved

A leading Russian astrophysicist said the concept of infinite density at the centers of black holes remains unexplained by current science, pointing to the limits of existing physical theories. Sergey Sazonov, head of the astrophysics laboratory at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said prevailing theory holds that everything falling into a black hole is concentrated at a single point, where density, gravity and spacetime curvature theoretically reach infinity. He added that because space and time become intertwined under such conditions, the phenomenon is not yet fully understood. Sazonov said resolving the issue requires unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics, and that work on a quantum gravity theory is still in its early stages. He noted that general relativity treats gravity not as a force but as the curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects, an approach proven accurate through satellite systems such as GPS and GLONASS. He also said quantum mechanics has described the microscopic world with high precision for about a century, but how the two theories can be combined to apply to black holes remains unknown. Sazonov added that, contrary to widespread belief, a black hole's gravitational effect is limited to a defined region, and that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way poses no threat to Earth.