Danny Jones Podcast #349 - New Evidence for NUCLEAR Power in Ancient Egypt | Guest: Maxim Zamilov (Nov 17, 2025)

Overview

This fascinating episode features Maxim Zamilov, a Russian-born scientist, entrepreneur, and nuclear experimenter known for building a fusion reactor in his Florida home. Host Danny Jones dives deep with Maxim into ancient mysteries—from the engineering marvels of Egypt and Russia, to the controversial idea of nuclear technology in antiquity, to Maxim’s own hands-on experiments with radiation, stone vases, and fusion. The episode is rich in technical detail and skepticism, with Maxim both deflating and reimagining ancient technology theories, discussing his process for testing ancient artifacts, and outlining unconventional approaches to nuclear power and material science.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who is Maxim Zamilov? His Unusual Journey

• Background: Came to the US in '97, originally aimed for physics, shifted to computer engineering, software, then academia, and eventually to independent nuclear research ([00:50]-[10:35]).
• On Academia: Criticizes the modern system, calling it driven by "grants and prestige" over truth; glad he pursued knowledge outside university bureaucracy.
• Serial Experimenter: Shaped oil technology, home renovation, nuclear research—often starting from scratch and learning by doing.

"Science isn't about truth... academic science is about... prestige. It's about... grants. Nobody gave a shit about how a universe worked."
— Maxim ([01:05])

2. Home Nuclear R&D and Tools for Scientists

• DIY Nuclear Science: Built a working fusion reactor at home and designed/sells radiation detection equipment under Maximus Energy ([10:35]-[13:42]).
• Customers: Major US universities (MIT, Purdue, Texas Tech) purchase his detectors for both research and teaching.
• Fusion for the Masses: Believes academic fusion efforts are too expensive/complex; aims to make a compact, affordable fusion reactor using sound/sonofusion instead of magnetic or inertial confinement ([26:35]-[34:39]).

"I decided to build my own fusion reactor... not a billion-dollar reactor, but like $100,000... enough to run a house."
— Maxim ([26:35])

3. Chasing Extraordinary Claims: Anti-Gravity, Perpetual Motion, and Scientific Skepticism

• Built Newman's "perpetual motion" motor in Russia—learned the apparent free energy was illusion due to electrical ground loops ([15:11]–[19:06]).
• Lesson: Many inventors fool themselves (or investors) due to lack of scrutiny; importance of skepticism and experimental verification ([19:06]-[21:57]).
• Anti-Gravity Myths: There are “anti-gravity” scams on the Internet, including people selling fake kits in Russia—affirming the need to test such claims rigorously ([21:57]-[24:34]).

"Some people... just fools. They don't have enough training, enough expertise to really know what's happening."
— Maxim ([19:06])

4. Sonofusion: Sound As a Fusion Engine

• Sonofusion Explained: Describes history from Soviet scientist Flynn to Taleyarkhan at Oak Ridge, and the controversies that squashed promising work ([29:16]-[34:39]).
• Maxim claims successful neutron detection in his home setup, published a paper in Nature’s Scientific Reports, and is seeking commercialization via his new company Maximus Fusion Systems ([33:37]-[34:39]).

"Magnetic confinement... a billion dollar installation... I thought, I can do it cheaper and smaller."
— Maxim ([28:36])

5. Ancient Egypt, Megaliths & Nuclear Power Theories

• Power Plant Pyramids & Resonance: Consumed by Chris Dunn’s “power plant” theory & Russian "Laboratory for Alternative History" ideas. Wonders about the functional engineering behind the pyramids—especially the King’s Chamber and its use of granite for resonance ([37:03]-[54:07]).
• Alignment & Purpose Theories: Posits astronomical alignment suggests the pyramid could have been a communication device, possibly for space/SOS transmission ([60:32]-[65:09]). Discusses trial-and-error in pyramid design.

"To me as an engineer... that's the only explanation... why a structure needs to be precisely aligned... for space communication."
— Maxim ([62:23])

6. The Evidence for Nuclear Technology in Antiquity

• Nuclear Hypothesis: Advanced civilizations might use nuclear isotopes for machining due to their vastly greater energy density ([109:02]-[109:33]).
• Processes Outline: Radioactive isotopes could have been harnessed for:
  • Alpha particle emission: Abrading materials (“nano machining”).
  • Beta particle emission: Pouring electrons into the lattice, softening hard stone for machining.
• Stone Softening & Moving Megaliths: Posits that charging massive stone blocks with negative charge (via radioactive beta emission) could let them levitate in the Earth’s electric field—similar to how certain spiders float ([138:16]-[143:57]).

"If you are an advanced civilization... with nuclear science... you can machine stuff by nuclear means."
— Maxim ([109:02])

"You put a chunk of polonium on a rock, and it'd just obliterate."
— Maxim ([117:11])

"You take these beta emitters... the craft would float in Earth's gravity just because the static charge on the craft is pushing against the static charge of the Earth."
— Maxim ([139:44])

7. Testing Theories on Real Artifacts: Gamma Spectra & Isotope Ratios

• Used his detectors on Egyptian stone vessels from private collections and at the Petrie Museum in London; initially promising, but upon deeper analysis, gamma spectra didn’t show unusual radioactive evidence ([127:08]-[129:20]).
• What Would Prove Ancient Nuclear Machining?
  • Unusual gamma emission
  • Changed isotope ratios (compared to untouched native granite)
  • Presence of technogenic isotopes—like those only created during man-made fission
• So far, has found no such indicators on Egyptian vases, but proposes more focused tests on megaliths, scoop marks, and Peruvian polygonal masonry ([129:20]-[132:35]).

8. The Stone Vase Project: Debunking Ancient CNC Precision

• Maxim developed a metrological method to analyze vessel 3D scans for concentricity and circularity.
  • Compared 200+ vases: modern CNC/lathe, handmade, and ancient (Petrie Museum).
  • Found that truly precise, “CNC-like” vases in private collections are almost certainly modern fakes/replicas, not ancient artifacts, based on statistical clustering ([157:28]-[164:29]).
  • Genuine dynastic/pre-dynastic vases consistently matched handmade, not machine-made, characteristics.
  • Holes and cores can be explained by abrasive drilling (bow drill method)—demonstrated by experiments, not requiring nuclear or exotic technology ([172:21]-[175:42]).

"The most precise objects... are entirely consistent with modern machining. Those aren’t genuine."
— Maxim ([163:03])

9. Russian Megaliths, Siberia, and Underground Mysteries

• Discussed widespread buried first floors in Russian architecture (e.g., St. Petersburg palaces), unexplained massive canals, and mysterious earthworks in Russia and Siberia ([93:44]-[98:39], [79:04]-[84:49]).
• Raises questions about lost infrastructure, catastrophic resets, and patterns of forest regrowth after major earth changes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Science Skepticism:
  "People either lie on purpose... or are just fools... there is also a third kind, when people... are not motivated to go deeper because it would destroy the idea." ([19:06])
• On Ancient Engineering:
  "I don't believe anybody's stupid... when I hear this theory that sounds stupid, that somebody, you know, with a pounding block was pounding there, I don't believe any civilization was up for doing stupid work." ([130:56])
• On Static Electricity for Moving Stones:
  "If you produce these isotopes and put them on a craft... the craft would float in Earth's gravity just because the static charge on the craft is pushing against the static charge of the Earth." ([139:44])
• On Pyramid Alignment:
  "If you're building a power plant, why the hell is it important that it's, like, oriented exactly in the north, south? ...it matters if it's a communication device." ([62:23])
• On Experimental Fusion Reactors:
  "Everybody is like multi-billion dollar installation... I thought, I can do it cheaper and smaller." ([28:36])
• On Forged Antiquities:
  "Egyptian antiquities is the most forged artifact in history... the most precise objects... are made in modern times." ([167:05])
• On Nuclear Tech and Material Manipulation:
  "With nuclear science, you can do things that look like magic... make things disappear... make matter out of nothing... led to gold." ([112:38])

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Maxim's Unorthodox Journey, Anti-Establishment Science: [00:50]-[13:42]
• Building a Home Fusion Reactor: [26:23]-[34:39], [36:23]-[38:27]
• Sonofusion—History and Promise: [29:16]-[34:39]
• Alternate Pyramid Theories, Engineering Reasoning: [37:36]-[54:07]
• Gamma Spectroscopy on Ancient Artifacts: [127:08]-[129:20]
• Debunking 'Ancient High-Precision CNC' Theories (Stone Vases): [151:18]-[175:42]
• Nuclear Isotopes: Could They Move Megaliths?: [138:16]-[145:12]
• Evidence for Nuclear Event on Mars: [133:08]-[138:16]
• Siberian/ Russian Mysteries, Buried Palaces: [93:44]-[99:40]

Resources

• Website: Maximus.energy
• YouTube: "Maximus Energy"
• Music: "Ultramax" on Spotify, iTunes, etc.
• Book: Order and Chaos trilogy (website: orderandchaosbook.com)

Final Thoughts

This episode is a tour de force for fans of both hard science and ancient mysteries. Maxim challenges fringe ideas with data-driven skepticism but also offers radical new avenues for interpreting history, all while elucidating the powerful promise—and very real limitations—of nuclear technology, both modern and hypothesized in antiquity.