Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What if time travel weren’t science fiction, but real physics? In this episode of Math! Science! History!, host Gabrielle Birchak sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Ronald Mallett, whose groundbreaking research suggests that light itself could twist space-time into loops — opening the door to time travel. Mallett explains how Einstein’s general theory of relativity, frame dragging, and circulating laser beams form the scientific foundation for this extraordinary idea.
From black holes and wormholes to quantum mechanics and parallel universes, Dr. Mallett reveals how the boundaries between imagination and science begin to blur. This deeply personal conversation also explores how the loss of his father as a child inspired his lifelong pursuit to understand time — transforming grief into discovery and proving that curiosity can bend both time and destiny.
Timestamps
00:00 – The Spark That Started It All
08:45 – Einstein, Relativity, and the Physics of Time
22:10 – From Black Holes to Light Beams: Building a Time Machine
36:30 – Wormholes, Paradoxes, and the Multiverse
52:40 – The Human Equation: Imagination, Loss, and Legacy
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Until next time, carpe diem!
• Einstein image by Oren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J. Original image cleaned/leveled by User:Jaakobou. - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3b46036. Commons:Licensing., Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6372844
• Penn State University, By George Chriss - Own work, CC BY 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=930570
• Ronald Mallett by AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Gift of Dr. Ronald Mallett - repository.aip.org/islandora/object/nbla%3A304750, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123543733
• Clock stock video by Vecteezy CC0
• Gravity demonstration gif by NASA CC0
• Blackhole by Relaxing Guru – Pixabay
• Blackhole by NASA CC0
• Check mark and cross mark - Kropekk_pl – Pixabay
Kip Thorne - By Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden - CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64662246
• Richard Gott - By A. T. Service - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15490353
• Kurt Godel - By Kurt Gödel - LIFE magazine., CC BY 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144622468
• Visual elements sourced from Pixabay (Pixabay License — free for commercial use).
What if time travel weren’t science fiction, but real physics? In this episode of Math! Science! History!, host Gabrielle Birchak sits down with theoretical physicist Dr. Ronald Mallett, whose groundbreaking research suggests that light itself could twist space-time into loops — opening the door to time travel. Mallett explains how Einstein’s general theory of relativity, frame dragging, and circulating laser beams form the scientific foundation for this extraordinary idea.
From black holes and wormholes to quantum mechanics and parallel universes, Dr. Mallett reveals how the boundaries between imagination and science begin to blur. This deeply personal conversation also explores how the loss of his father as a child inspired his lifelong pursuit to understand time — transforming grief into discovery and proving that curiosity can bend both time and destiny.
Timestamps
00:00 – The Spark That Started It All
08:45 – Einstein, Relativity, and the Physics of Time
22:10 – From Black Holes to Light Beams: Building a Time Machine
36:30 – Wormholes, Paradoxes, and the Multiverse
52:40 – The Human Equation: Imagination, Loss, and Legacy
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🌍 Let’s Connect!
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social
Instagram: instagram.com/math.science.history
Facebook: facebook.com/mathsciencehistory
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/math-science-history
Threads: threads.com/@math.science.history
Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz
YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube
Pinterest: pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Until next time, carpe diem!
• Einstein image by Oren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J. Original image cleaned/leveled by User:Jaakobou. - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3b46036. Commons:Licensing., Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6372844
• Penn State University, By George Chriss - Own work, CC BY 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=930570
• Ronald Mallett by AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Gift of Dr. Ronald Mallett - repository.aip.org/islandora/object/nbla%3A304750, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123543733
• Clock stock video by Vecteezy CC0
• Gravity demonstration gif by NASA CC0
• Blackhole by Relaxing Guru – Pixabay
• Blackhole by NASA CC0
• Check mark and cross mark - Kropekk_pl – Pixabay
Kip Thorne - By Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden - CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64662246
• Richard Gott - By A. T. Service - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15490353
• Kurt Godel - By Kurt Gödel - LIFE magazine., CC BY 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=144622468
• Visual elements sourced from Pixabay (Pixabay License — free for commercial use).
