Reframing Special Relativity in Distance-Based Terms: A Testable Prediction on Aging and Decay

This paper proposes a reformulation of Special Relativity where time is not fundamental but rather a derived effect of spatial traversal. Building upon the works of Einstein (1905) and Minkowski (1908), this framework challenges the traditional interpretation of time dilation as a direct function of elapsed time. Instead, it proposes that biological aging and particle decay rates are governed by total distance traveled rather than time itself, suggesting that time dilation is a measurement distortion rather than a fundamental warping of time. We examine historical experimental evidence, including muon decay studies (Rossi & Hall, 1941; Bailey et al., 1977), which confirmed time dilation but implicitly assumed time as the controlling variable. This paper introduces a new testable hypothesis: if decay rates are measured purely as a function of spatial traversal, they should still align with relativistic expectations, providing an alternative interpretation of time dilation. To test this, we propose an experiment using high-energy particle accelerators and biological systems in high-velocity environments, such as spaceflight. If decay rates scale with distance traveled rather than elapsed time, it would imply that time is not an independent dimension but a derived measurement effect of movement through space.