In this episode of “Midnight in the Desert,” Art introduces Professor Ronald Mallett, a renowned physicist specializing in time travel research. Art shares his excitement about time travel, emphasizing how much he has studied the topic over the years. They discuss news, including a shocking case from Peru where a teenager allegedly became possessed after using a mobile phone app to simulate a Ouija board, and updates on global events like the Russian airstrikes in Syria. Art then shifts the conversation to time travel, noting that it’s his favorite topic and introducing Professor Mallett’s impressive credentials, including his work on black holes and cosmology.
Professor Mallett recounts how his personal fascination with time travel began after his father died at a young age, sparking a desire to find a way to go back in time to prevent the tragedy. He explains that his obsession with time travel was born out of the idea that if time could be controlled, he could warn his father and change the course of events. The conversation then delves deeper into Mallett’s work, where he discusses the scientific foundation behind time travel and how Einstein’s theory of relativity serves as the basis for his research.
Throughout the interview, they touch on different time travel concepts, from the philosophical and personal motivations to the scientific and technological challenges of making time travel a reality. Art and Professor Mallett also explore potential ethical dilemmas, such as the effects of altering past events, and whether time travel could ever be technologically feasible. Art expresses how deeply the concept resonates with him, especially as it relates to key moments in history or personal life events that could be changed or observed with the ability to travel through time.
The discussion continues with Art and Professor Mallett exploring the emotional motivations behind time travel research. Professor Mallett shares a touching story of receiving letters from people who, upon learning of his work, asked if he could help them send messages back in time to prevent tragedies, such as the death of a loved one. One notable letter came from a father in Germany whose daughter died in a car accident. The letter, accompanied by photographs of the daughter before and after the accident, deeply moved Professor Mallett, highlighting the strong emotional connection many people have with the idea of altering the past. Although Mallett had to explain that his research was not yet advanced enough to make such changes possible, the story underscores the personal drive behind his work.
Art and the professor also touch on popular culture, discussing movies like “Frequency” and how they resonate with the theme of reconnecting with lost loved ones through time. Both agree that time travel, especially to the past, fascinates people because it offers the possibility to undo mistakes, prevent tragedies, or witness historical events like Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or Christ’s miracles. Professor Mallett expands on this idea, explaining that time travel represents a human desire to control time itself, which otherwise feels like a relentless, unstoppable force. This desire to control time and potentially change outcomes drives much of the intrigue around time travel.
They then shift to discussing the scientific challenges of time travel, including the infamous “grandfather paradox,” where altering past events could drastically change the present or future. Professor Mallett notes that while the mathematics and physics behind time travel may be sound, the technological feasibility of it remains an open question. However, he emphasizes that theoretical work is crucial in advancing the understanding of time and space.
As the conversation moves forward, Art and Professor Mallett delve into the technological aspects of time travel. Art brings up the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, asking Professor Mallett about the concerns some people have raised regarding the creation of black holes during experiments. Mallett reassures Art that while there is a theoretical possibility of creating a black hole, the chances of it posing any significant threat are extremely low, comparable to the likelihood of all the air molecules in a room suddenly moving to one side, leaving the other side in a vacuum—a probability so small that it can be essentially dismissed. He explains that such concerns were part of the media hype around the Collider, meant to keep public interest high in such an expensive and lengthy project.
Professor Mallett also discusses how time travel to the future has already been proven possible within the framework of Einstein’s theory of relativity. He explains the concept of time dilation, where time slows down for objects moving at very high speeds—something that has been experimentally verified at the subatomic level and in practical scenarios. For example, astronauts or particles traveling near the speed of light experience time at a slower rate compared to those remaining stationary. While traveling to the future in this way is feasible, Mallett notes that traveling to the past presents more complex challenges due to the potential for paradoxes.
As they discuss these scientific intricacies, Professor Mallett reiterates that his work is primarily theoretical. Though his research explores manipulating space and time with lasers and other tools, he distinguishes between theoretical physics and experimental practice. Mallett is optimistic, however, that advances in our understanding of quantum mechanics and relativity could eventually lead to breakthroughs in the technological side of time travel.