Art Bell Back in Time Ep605-Art Bell-Ronald L. Mallett-Towards a Time Machine
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Nov 21, 2025 
This time, Ronald L. Mallett, a theoretical physicist from the University of Connecticut and author of 'Time Traveler,' dives into the intriguing world of time travel. He shares his journey from personal loss to pioneering research, explaining time dilation and the possibility of creating time machines using circulating light. Mallett discusses paradoxes like the grandfather conundrum and the ethical implications of time travel. With fascinating analogies, he makes complex concepts accessible, while outlining his ambitious plans for practical experiments in the field.
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Relativity Makes Time Flexible
- Einstein's relativity makes time malleable: motion slows clocks and thus lets travelers reach the future.
- Ronald L. Mallett highlights atomic-clock jet experiments as concrete proof of time dilation at speed.
Personal Origin Of The Quest
- Ronald L. Mallett became obsessed with time travel after his father's death and reading H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.
- That childhood drive led him to physics, military service, and eventually doctoral research on relativity.
Gravity Slows Time Too
- Gravity also affects time: stronger gravitational fields slow clocks, so standing nearer a mass yields slower proper time.
- Mallett connects this to using gravity — not just speed — as a route to time manipulation.
