Do higher-dimensional strings of black holes avoid naked singularities?

A black string — an extended, tube-like black hole in five dimensions — is unstable and breaks apart into a chain of black holes connected by ever-thinner necks. Simulating this with numerical relativity in a modified gravity theory, the team finds that a single coupling constant flips the outcome: positive values cap runaway curvature growth, potentially preserving cosmic censorship, while negative values let curvatures blow past the theory's validity. The result matters because it shows higher-dimensional corrections to gravity can determine whether singularities stay decently hidden.