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Cramer's lightning round: Buy DoorDash
"Mad Money" host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he's giving his answers to callers' stock questions at rapid speed.
Summer Nights Entertainment Returns to Danville
Summer Nights Entertainment Returns to DanvilleThe Town of Danville is celebrating the season with Danville Loves Summer, a reminder that summer in Danville is about community gatherings, outdoor fun,
Local and state leaders back Joshua Simmons for Coral Springs Mayor
'Joshua brings people together to solve problems, and he is exactly the kind of mayor Coral Springs deserves.'
Bari Weiss: Think For Yourself, Not By Yourself
When we launched The Free Press, the plan was simple: Tell the truth plainly, and let readers come to their own conclusions. I thought there would be a sizable enough group of people who would pay the cost of one coffee a month to read high-quality news and opinion journalism. But what happened next surprised even me. Yes, you came for the stories—for the investigations, essays, debates, interviews, podcasts, and arguments. But over the past few years, you also found one another. I’ve watched strangers become friends in the lobby before our debates. I’ve seen people trade numbers after live recordings of Honestly, launch businesses after Free Press dinners, fall in love after our meetups—even get married (!?), and say some version of the same sentence over and over again: I thought I was the only one. We live in the most connected age in history, and yet, millions of people feel isolated, alienated, politically homeless, and starved for real conversation. We have followers and no neighbors. Algorithms instead of interlocutors. Our social media feeds are like troughs, but what we really need is a table to gather around. The Free Press is a publication, yes, but it is also a gathering place for independent minds. So today, I’m thrilled to share our new investment in you. We are launching a new world of community experiences for our paid subscribers, designed to bring _Free Press_ers together online and in real life. Introducing Our Community Launch The Free Press Forum Our new digital home for paid subscribers, the Forum, is now live. This is where _Free Press_ers can meet, debate, recommend, organize, joke, argue, and converse like civilized people. Imagine that. This is not social media as you know it. No bots. No algorithmic rage bait. No performative nonsense. Just smart people talking to one another. Inside the Forum, you’ll find conversations on the things our readers already care about most: the issues of the day, recommendations (books, music, travel), work and networking, parenting, dating, and where to find your people—online and in real life. Jump in! Introduce yourself and join the first conversations in the Free Press Forum here. You’ll also find announcements from us (paid subscribers are first to hear!) and our writers, hosting regular Ask Me Anythings (AMAs)—live conversations where subscribers can ask questions, push back, and continue the discussion beyond the page. This Thursday, subscribers can chat with our brilliant reporter, culture vulture, and co-founder Suzy Weiss. Friday, I’ll be lending you Nellie Bowles, queen of TGIF, to answer subscriber questions live. Read more about The Forum directly from Nellie here. The Free Press Supper Club The best part of being a _Free Press_er is meeting other _Free Press_ers. So we’re inviting you all to dinner to do just that. It’s part salon, part blind date, part old-fashioned dinner party. Here’s how it works: You answer a short questionnaire. We match you with a small group of _Free Press_ers in your city. We send you to a great restaurant. You show up for supper. The rest is up to you. Your next best friend, co-founder, or future spouse may already be waiting at the table. Learn more and sign up here for our first Supper Club in 12 cities in three countries taking place on June 18. Don’t see your city? Raise your hand if you’d like a Free Press Supper Club near you. Yes, St. Louis—we hear you. The Free Press Retreats and Excursions We’re also building something new for 2027: immersive experiences for Free Press readers who want to continue the conversation trailside, poolside, or around a fire long after dessert. The Free Press Retreat will be an intimate long weekend built around big ideas, outdoor adventure, great meals, and the kinds of discussions that happen when curious people spend meaningful time together. Bring your spouse, your parents, your children—or come on your own. Free Press Excursions will take us farther afield: curated trips with Free Press writers and contributors exploring places that help explain the world we live in, from the battlefields of Gettysburg and Normandy to the Vatican in Rome. We’ll share more details this summer. If you’d like an early look when these experiences open for registration, show your interest here.**A Note to Our Subscribers** These new offerings exist because of our paying subscribers. If you’re already one: Thank you. You built this. And you keep us going. If you’ve been reading us for free and wondering whether to join, this is a very good time. For a short while only, we’re offering a rare 20 percent discount for you to join our community as a paid subscriber. You’ll unlock everything we publish, plus exclusive access to our members-only Forum, Supper Clubs, and more insider perks. Thinking for yourself shouldn’t mean thinking by yourself. See you there. —Bari
We quit our jobs to run a cemetery business – it now brings in $6 million a year
Shayda Frost was a film producer and her husband, Tim Amoui, worked in PR in LA. But when Frost's father died unexpectedly, the couple flew to her hometown of Atlanta, quit their jobs, and took over the family business: cemeteries. Frost and Amoui are now the owners of Lincoln Memorial Group, which operates four working cemeteries Georgia's capital. In 2025, the business brought in over $6 million in revenue.
FinTech Pet Care Software Kennel Connection Brings Petwealth Pet Health Diagnostics to Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo West Following Strong Industry Reception at Intergroom
MOORPARK, Calif., May 26, 2026--Kennel Connection expands its exclusive Petwealth diagnostics partnership to Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo West following strong reception at Intergroom
Forever Forward Season Guide: Mega Mewtwo, GO Fest 2026, Dynamax Pokémon and Bonuses
The Forever Forward Season brings Mega Mewtwo X and Y, GO Fest 2026, new Dynamax Pokémon, Daily Discoveries, GO Pass rewards, Egg hatches, Community Days, and more to Pokémon GO.
Megyn Kelly Claims Trump Has Cheated On Every Wife Including Melania
The former Fox News host also brings up shocking past accusation against the president.
Megyn Kelly Claims Trump Has Cheated On Every Wife Including Melania
The former Fox News host also brings up shocking past accusation against the president.
Wasserman Schultz’s FL-20 run ‘undermining Black political power,’ DNC members say
Almost all of Florida’s elected DNC members said she made a “politically convenient” decision “undermining Black political power.”
Alicia Keys brings 'Hell's Kitchen' to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre
The jukebox musical inspired by Alicia Keys' life will open at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles at the end of May.
Pirated Sports Streams Are Warping TV’s Most Important Ratings
Advertisers love live sports. But good luck measuring that investment. Although tides of ad revenue flow based on the ratings of certain tentpole TV events, a new crop of scammers now operate illicit sports livestreaming rings, and there’s almost nothing broadcasters can do about it. According to a new report released Tuesday by ad tech […]
Experts Fear Key Federal Firings Undercut Public Health
The dismissal of the entire National Science Board breaks down guardrails that protect public health, says epidemiologist Brian Castrucci.
Experts Fear Key Federal Firings Undercut Public Health
The dismissal of the entire National Science Board breaks down guardrails that protect public health, says epidemiologist Brian Castrucci.
Holiday weekend brings business to the beach
Signs of rebuilding are still easy to find, like hotels under construction and homes in the process of being elevated.
Creative compassion: Scatter Joy Project Founder Zach Thompson brings mental health advocacy to his hometown
Class of 2008 Marshalltown High School (MHS) graduate Zach Thompson, who went on to play baseball at Marshalltown Community College (MCC) before relocating to his current home state of Ohio, started the Scatter Joy Project in Columbus as part of an effort to destigmatize conversations around mental health and highlight the intersection between mental health […]
Ocean Springs sees business growth, infrastructure improvements
Ocean Springs is experiencing business growth and improved infrastructure projects across the city, Mayor Bobby Cox said.
America's 250th brings exclusive merchandise to area retailer
South Dakota's America250 flag is selling fast – and there's only one place to buy it.
Pokémon GO Fest Tokyo 2026: Top Spawns, Shinies & Best Pokémon to Catch (Raid & PvP Guide)
Good day, Pokémon Trainers! Pokémon GO Fest season is upon us and it promises to bring about some big changes to the formula! But this brings up the ever-popular question, What are the best Pokémon to catch? Well, not to worry fellow trainer, I’m here to help narrow the field! But before we get to […]
What Norway’s dominance at the Winter Olympics can teach us about youth sports
The country’s focus for young people on ‘the joy of sport’ leads to much higher participation rates – and lots of Olympic gold Barry Finegold, CommonWealth Beacon EVERY CYCLE OF the Winter Olympics brings a familiar but uncomfortable storyline: The United States, with its vast population, enormous resources, and deep
Territory Days gives small business owners a chance to grow dreams into careers
Small business owners at Territory Days say the annual festival is about more than sales. Vendors from across Colorado Springs say the event gives them a chance to grow their businesses, connect with customers and pursue long-term dreams of owning storefronts while showcasing years of hard work to thousands of visitors.
Rolling to Remember ride brings thousands of motorcyclists to D.C. to honor veterans, raise mental health awareness
Patriotic Celebrations, Drone Show Among Busch Gardens Summer Offerings
WILLIAMSBURG — Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced its summer lineup of shows, concerts and seasonal events, including returning festivals and new entertainment offerings. The park’s Food & Wine Festival continues through June 21, featuring international cuisine and live music on select dates, with summer entertainment running alongside seasonal offerings. The summer concert season at Busch […]
Busta Rhymes brings anti-AI message to BottleRock
During his Napa festival debut, Busta Rhymes celebrated analog showmanship and blasted the technology he says is making performers lazy. See video here.
Unified track and field team brings Klamath County students together through sports
Klamath County students are building friendships and athletic skills through Unified track and field, an inclusive program that brings together athletes with and without disabilities.
Why You Simply Don't Need To Buy A Smartwatch Anymore
Smart rings, fitness bands, and even analogue watches are making many people question whether buying a smartwatch still makes sense in 2026.
America’s Small-Business Boom Comes Without New Jobs
While US financial markets brace for what could be the three biggest initial public offerings ever, most entrepreneurship in the US is headed in the opposite direction: New businesses are shrinking.
Opinion
Some fans want Bruce Springsteen to stay frozen in time. But his songs were always more complicated than youthful escape — and so was he.
Napa businesses looking to cash in as BottleRock brings many to town
Small Shoppes Marketplace brings a new home and hope for small business owners
Mind and Soul Festival brings mental health resources to Augusta community
The event featured vendors with resources to help neighbors take care of their minds and bodies.
Rust-Based Wild Linker 0.9 Brings New Platform Coverage, Linker Plugin API
Wild Linker 0.9 was released today as the latest version of this very fast linker for Linux systems that is written in the Rust programming language.
Gazette, Centennial Institute cosponsoring Republican gubernatorial debate Tuesday
The Gazette and the Centennial Institute are cosponsoring a Republican gubernatorial debate Tuesday at Colorado Christian University, featuring candidates state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs pastor, and longtime GOP insider state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer. Candidates will field questions on major issues facing Colorado, including the economy, crime/public safety, state budget/TABOR, energy, infrastructure and affordability. […]
Denver Gazette, Centennial Institute cosponsoring Republican gubernatorial debate Tuesday
The Gazette The Denver Gazette and the Centennial Institute are cosponsoring a Republican gubernatorial debate Tuesday at Colorado Christian University, featuring candidates Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs pastor, and longtime GOP insider Barb Kirkmeyer. Candidates will field questions on major issues facing Colorado, including the economy, crime/public safety, state budget/TABOR, energy, infrastructure, and affordability. The […]
Roaches, rodent droppings found during Fort Worth health inspections
One restaurant was temporarily closed by the city due to no hot water. Seven facilities received a perfect score of zero.
Dear Abby | Delightful friend's 'wonderful' pup is no longer welcome
Dear Abby: A friend of mine calls first or pops by every few months. She's generous and brings homemade treats, something she has found at the grocer's or flowers from
Budget conference: House, Senate agree on operating money for UF Health
A bipartisan effort brings home the bucks.
Diablo 2 Season 14 brings WASD support and Warlock nerfs designed to enhance "mechanical awkwardness"
The new Diablo 2 Resurrected update makes major Warlock balance changes across the Season 14 patch notes, and WASD support is finally here.
NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Final Four brings business boost to Charlottesville
Businesses in the area offer deals as Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke and Princeton prepare for championship weekend at Scott Stadium.
Attorney Kyle Chamberlin Launches New Business, Real Estate Law Firm
South Bend business and real estate attorney Kyle Chamberlin has founded a new firm, Chamberlin Legal . A graduate of Mishawaka High School and the University of Notre Dame, Chamberlin brings 15 …
Culture wars vie with GOP economic message at Trump rally in New York
Trump's rally in a town on the edge of the New York metropolitan region illustrated the political appeal and the liabilities he brings for swing-district Republicans.
Mariposa Medical Office Building expands specialty care access in major health corridor
WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, investigations, and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for San Antonio and nearby towns and communities in South Central Texas, including Windcrest, Uvalde, Universal City, Somerset, Seguin, Schertz, San Marcos, Sabinal, Poth, Poteet, Pleasanton, Pearsall, New Braunfels, Live Oak, Kerrville, Hondo, Helotes, Goliad, Fredericksburg, Floresville, Eagle Pass, Devine, Del Rio, Cuero, Crystal City, Converse, Cibolo, Castroville, Carrizo Springs, Boerne, Bandera.
What Is Stephen Colbert Doing Next After ‘Late Show’s Ending?
The talk-show emcee has big ideas for his future, and we’re not just talking about his upcoming ‘Lord of the Rings’ film.
Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 finally enables partial screenshots, but not for everyone
Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 brings the long-leaked partial screenshot feature and enables it by default, but only for large screens.
Take a look at what’s new for the Galaxy S24 Ultra on One UI 8.5
Our latest SamMobile TV video on YouTube highlights many of the new features that One UI 8.5 brings for the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Scientists discover a strange hidden state in “sandwich” molecules
Scientists have uncovered a strange hidden structure formed during the creation of metallocenes, a class of sandwich-like molecules used in everything from catalysis to medicine. The newly characterized intermediate features a rare “double ring-slip,” where both carbon rings partially detach from the metal atom. By finally observing this fleeting state, researchers gained fresh insight into how these molecules assemble and transform.
South Milwaukee's Cheata Bikes to introduce new electric models
Cheata Bikes, known for gas-powered bicycles, will offer electric bikes to attract new customers and expand its unique offerings.
Wake County Public Health urges safe food practices ahead of summer cookouts and gatherings
As Memorial Day Weekend approaches and families across Wake County fire up the grill for the unofficial start of summer, Wake County Public Health is reminding residents to take steps to prevent foodborne illnesses, especially cyclosporiasis which tends to rise during the warmest months of the year.
A local student is doing award-winning research on trees
Leif Speer, a freshman at Terre Haute South Vigo High School, placed in the top 25 percent of the International Science and Engineering Fair for his project on using tree rings to determine climate ch...
Firefox is working on a rounded redesign with easy-to-find controls for privacy and AI
Project Nova brings more customization and bubbly tabs.
Normal LIVE has live entertainment acts for all interests
Normal LIVE is back with another season of programming suited to tickle anyone’s fancy. Music and live entertainment offerings vary widely, from kid-specific programming to brass, country, storytelling, and everything in between. Shows take place ...
Berlin OKs bid to host Olympics on or after anniversary of 1936 Games under the Nazis
Supporters argue that hosting the Games could boost investment, tourism and international visibility for the city.
Susan Collins brings federal dollars to Maine. She's hoping that's worth it to voters
As Maine's Senate matchup is all but set, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins urges voters to pick her over Democrat Graham Platner because she can fund state priorities due to her seniority.
Poll: Who Wins Eastern Conference Final, Hurricanes or Canadiens?
After the Vegas Golden Knights upset the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 lead in the NHL’s Western Conference final, Thursday night brings us Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. The Montreal Canadiens begin the best-of-seven series at the Carolina Hurricanes (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Tru/HBO Max). The No. 3 seed Canadiens got here when Alex Newhook scored an overtime goal Tuesday night in Game 7 of Montreal’s second-round series with the Buffalo Sabres.
Boise State Forms Sports & Entertainment Group within Athletics - Boise State University Athletics
The formation brings together concerts, community, and special events at ExtraMile Arena and Albertsons Stadium
Boise State Forms Sports & Entertainment Group within Athletics - Boise State University Athletics
The formation brings together concerts, community, and special events at ExtraMile Arena and Albertsons Stadium
Memphis People in Business for May 21, 2026
A look at promotions, hirings, movers and newsmakers in the Memphis area business scene
Azamara Cruises Unveils 2028 Voyages, Debuts New Entertainment Offerings Aboard Azamara Journey
Azamara Cruises announced its 2028 voyages featuring expanded offerings in Asia and 12 new ports across Europe and Asia, plus new entertainment aboard Azamara Journey.
Colorado Springs-based homeschool team wins state Science Olympiad for 5th time in 6 years
Homeschool Science Colorado, a Colorado Springs-based STEM team composed entirely of homeschool students, recently won the state’s Science Olympiad for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in six years. In sports parlance, the team has become a Colorado dynasty. This year, HSC’s high school team narrowly defeated perennial rival Fossil Ridge […]
Cline Thompson: Huntsville Sports Commission, General Manager
Cline Thompson leads event operations efforts across multiple sports and venues in Huntsville. He brings a dynamic blend of sports leadership with a legal and
Plex appeal fades as Lifetime Pass jumps to $750
How many times would you have to watch Lord of the Rings to cover that?
RFK Jr. Fires Leaders of Key Health Task Force
The health secretary has undermined the work of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force over the past year.
Eric Adams' charter commission moves forward without Mamdani's support
The commission has announced four upcoming public hearings.
EA SPORTS™ F1® 25: 2026 Season Pack Brings the 2026 Season to the Grid
Rewrite the Grid in EA SPORTS™ F1® 25: 2026 Season Pack and EA SPORTS™ F1® 25: 2026 Season Edition
RECongress Selects Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for 2028-2032
The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress (RECongress), one of the largest annual Catholic gatherings in the United States, has selected the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center as its new home beginning in 2028. The five-year agreement will bring Catholics from across the U.S. and the world to Long Beach for the four-day RECongress event through 2032.
A new Middle-earth open world game is coming from Kingdom Come developers
Warhorse is heading into Tolkien territory for a new Lord Of The Rings-adjacent game. Read more at Empire.
Springsteen's latest political moment
Bruce Springsteen heads to Cleveland on Friday at yet another political inflection point.
Lord of the Rings RPG from Kingdom Come: Deliverance Dev Confirmed
Also making a third Kingdom Come game
'Lord Of The Rings' & 'Tomb Raider' Spun Out Of Embracer Group
'Lord of the Rings' and 'Tomb Raider' will be part of a new Stockholm-listed, "IP-led" entertainment business spinning out of Embracer Group.
'Ask YouTube' brings AI-powered conversational search to video, adds Gemini Omni to Shorts
Google is completely revamping its search experience, and that doesn't stop at YouTube.
As Cape Cod businesses gear up for summer, visa delays are holding up seasonal workers
The J-1 visa program brings some 5,000 foreign student workers to the Cape each summer. But State Department officials have reduced staff, prioritized other visas for the World Cup, and are even scrutinizing applicants' social media accounts. This is putting both workers and businesses in limbo ahead of tourist season.
May 20, 2026: The political unknown shaking up the GOP primary for governor; climate-proofing Denver's urban trees; what's wrong with the 'tree of heaven'
Victor Marx has millions of followers online but is a new face in Colorado politics
Lightning in a Bottle festival brings big boost to Bakersfield businesses, owners say
For one weekend every year, thousands of people pour into Kern County for the Lightning in a Bottle festival, turning Buena Vista Lake into a temporary city of
College Station sports medicine clinic treats everyone like an athlete
SPONSORED: "We're building a community, not a clinic." Alpha Sports Performance Medicine in College Station has a unique approach — treating everyone like an athlete. Dr. Ben Baumgartner travels the world with Team USA and brings that expertise home.
See images of Reno Neon Line entertainment district’s next phase
Jacobs Entertainment shared new renderings of the next phase of its downtown Reno Neon Line entertainment district project.
See images of Reno Neon Line entertainment district’s next phase
Jacobs Entertainment shared new renderings of the next phase of its downtown Reno Neon Line entertainment district project.
Backtrack Blues Band: 45 years of original music
Renaissance man Charles "Chuck" Ross has mediated disputes as a lawyer, run a nightclub (The Ringside Café in St. Petersburg), and invested in real estate.
Darden’s Christoph Herpfer Named One of “Best 40 Under 40 Business Professors” by Poets & Quants
Citing his holistic teaching approach, research with real-world application, and pioneering work to develop Darden's healthcare offerings, Poets & Quants named Christoph Herpfer to its list of the Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors for 2026.
Culinary Chemistry Brings Science and Culture to the Kitchen
In Culinary Chemistry, students at Punahou School are discovering how science and culture connect
Google Drops Price of Its Highest-Tier AI Plan as Gemini Gets More Powerful
The new pricing brings two Ultra options: a $100 plan for advanced Gemini access and a $200 plan with the highest limits.
Networking Mixer
Join us for an elevated evening of connection, collaboration, and opportunity. Set in a premium lounge atmosphere overlooking the field, this networking mixer brings together driven professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders ready to expand their circle.
Fargo Theatre field trips are more than just entertainment for kids
Each year, Fargo's iconic theater brings history of the venue, the city and the entertainment industry to life for students.
Renderings Reveal Barclays Center Renovations In Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Renderings have been revealed for the $150 million renovation of Barclays Center designed by Populous in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries in Kentucky, Georgia and elsewhere
Tuesday brings one of the busiest primary days of the 2026 calendar year, with six states holding nominating contests.
Secretary Kennedy Brings ‘Take Back Your Health’ Tour to California, Highlights Microbiome Research and Addiction Recovery
HHS Secretary Kennedy traveled to California for his “Take Back Your Health” tour where he visited the City of Hope cancer center and met with local officials.
String theory suddenly emerged from simple physics rules
Physicists may have uncovered a surprising new clue that string theory—the idea that the universe is built from unimaginably tiny vibrating strings—could be more than just a mathematical fantasy. Instead of assuming strings existed from the start, researchers began with a few simple rules about how particles behave at extreme energies and discovered that the equations naturally produced the telltale fingerprints of string theory all on their own.
Traditional Medicine Innovation for Health Impact: Financing, Collaboration, and Future Pathways
This session brings together WHO, Member States, innovators, regulators and private sector partners to explore the role of integrating and advancing traditional medicine to improve health outcomes, while accelerating innovation, partnerships and collaboration. Discussions will focus on translating evidence and innovation into implementation, addressing financing and policy barriers, and identifying practical pathways to scale credible, community-rooted traditional medicine approaches to expand access, equity and health impact.Watch live on YouTube
New renderings released for $250M entertainment district proposed near Louisville Slugger Field
Updated renderings released Friday offer a new look at the proposed $250 million entertainment district planned near Louisville Slugger Field.
New renderings released for $250M entertainment district proposed near Louisville Slugger Field
Updated renderings released Friday offer a new look at the proposed $250 million entertainment district planned near Louisville Slugger Field.
'The Late Show' is ending on May 21. Here's what led CBS to cancel Stephen Colbert, why David Letterman says he's 'pissed off' and who the final guests are.
This week's announced guests include Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen.
Five years later, Windows 11 brings back much-missed taskbar options (and more)
Microsoft is also testing a smaller taskbar and more customizable Start menu.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion DLC adds Cyclops and The Thing, more DLC to follow
Dotemu and Tribute Games revealed DLC plans for Marvel Cosmic Invasion, starting with the arrival of Cyclops and The Thing today. This first DLC is out today on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. Here’s some information about the new DLC characters: The Thing: The Fantastic Four’s heaviest hitter brings his cosmic radiation-induced might to the fray, excelling in Marvel Cosmic...
New MatterChat Model Helps AI to ‘See’ the Language of Science
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly “talk to” physics-based models. Now, a new AI framework from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), called MatterChat, solves this problem by creating a specialized “bridge.” It connects the conversational power of a Large Language Model (LLM) with a physics-based AI that models “interatomic potentials”: the complex physical forces between atoms. The resulting system already significantly outperforms general-purpose AI tools like GPT-4 at predicting material properties, and the team hopes it can accelerate scientific discovery by serving as a robust research partner that provides grounded insights and generates step-by-step instructions for synthesizing novel materials. A paper describing this work was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence. “Traditional simulations can provide the physical rigor required for materials science, yet their computational cost remains prohibitive for high-throughput screening. Conversely, while LLMs excel at rapid knowledge synthesis, they inherently lack the ‘structural vision’ to interpret materials directly from their underlying atomic coordinates,” said Yingheng Tang, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Applied Math and Computational Research Division (AMCR) and lead author on the paper. “MatterChat was built to solve this dilemma, empowering LLMs with a structural ‘vision’ that allows researchers to leverage their full potential for solving complex, real-world materials challenges.” Empowering language models to solve complex challenges in materials science To build MatterChat, the Berkeley Lab team drew inspiration from technologies like Vision Question Answering (VQA) and Text-to-Image (T2I) generation. In these tasks, AI must translate high-level text concepts into visual images, or vice versa. Doing so requires developers to build tools that “bridge” two fundamentally different forms of data. The researchers adapted this concept to the physical sciences. With MatterChat, they created a “bridge model” that successfully connects an LLM’s general knowledge with the deep understanding of the atomic-scale world encoded in scientific interatomic potentials. Until now, researchers using LLMs to solve materials problems usually had to feed them raw data files as if they were just strings of text. It’s like asking an AI to understand a complex 3D engine based only on a parts list: the LLM can read the names, but it can’t “see” how the atoms fit together in space. MatterChat solves this by training a specialized AI bridge model, pre-trained on millions of crystal structures and an LLM, to align the LLM’s representation of the world with the interatomic potential’s representation of the world. The bridge model can translate physical insights into a format the LLM can actually understand. By giving the LLM these “scientific eyes”— a scientific “inductive bias” in the terminology of AI — the Berkeley Lab team has transformed it into a robust research tool capable of providing grounded scientific insights into complex materials challenges, such as predicting thermal stability or analyzing electronic band gaps. “We think of atoms as living in a physical space, but from a machine learning perspective, they are just vectors living in some very non-trivially structured manifold in a high-dimensional Euclidean space; and, of course, the same is true for the sentences and paragraphs that we use to express our ideas about those atoms,” said co-author Michael Mahoney, Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Data Division (SDD) AI Initiative Research Lead. “The bridge model basically gets those two structures to ‘talk with’ each other.” As a proof-of-concept of this general approach, the team trained their bridge model on a dataset curated by pairing nearly 143,000 stable atomic structures from the Materials Project with their corresponding physical properties. This training data was automatically assembled using the Materials Project’s API and deliberately enriched with properties fundamental to microelectronics design — like formation energy and bandgap — allowing MatterChat to learn the complex patterns connecting a material’s atomic blueprint to its functional performance. To validate their model, the researchers benchmarked MatterChat against a suite of other AI systems, from general-purpose LLMs to other specialized scientific AI methods. The results show that MatterChat consistently outperformed its competitors across a range of tasks. The model was more accurate in classifying material types and demonstrated superior precision in predicting numerical properties. For example, it excelled at predicting a material’s bandgap, a property critical for designing new electronics from high-capacity energy storage to next-generation computer chips. “Our design is significantly more efficient because we don’t have to build a massive AI model from the ground up,” said co-author Zhi (Jackie) Yao, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s AMCR. “Instead, we take two powerful, pre-trained models — a structural encoder for materials physics and an open-source LLM — and use them off-the-shelf. The only component we actually train is the lightweight ‘bridge model’ that translates between them. It’s the difference between building an entire car factory and simply designing a smart adapter that connects a world-class engine to a world-class navigation system. This approach is not only computationally efficient, but also makes the system modular, so we can easily upgrade components or adapt the bridge for other scientific domains in the future.” Crucially, this modular design highlights exactly how institutions like Berkeley Lab and the Department of Energy are carving out a highly valuable niche in the booming AI landscape. Rather than competing with Silicon Valley tech giants to build ever-larger language models from scratch, the lab is focusing on the specialized connective tissue that makes commercial AI useful for hardcore science. Because the bridge model approach underlying MatterChat is forward-compatible, it is perfectly positioned to leverage these parallel tracks of innovation. As Mahoney pointed out, “We expect that industry will continue to develop improved LLMs, and we expect domain scientists and facilities will continue to generate new data. An important part of scientific machine learning is not simply to solve problems on today’s data, but instead to develop general methods that will be forward-compatible with orders of magnitude more data, whether from scientific domains or from LLMs.” According to Yao, the MatterChat project, which was initially developed and enhanced with funding from a Berkeley Lab Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Program, will now expand its capabilities. In a collaboration with Fermilab, MatterChat is already contributing to a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission project — called Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon (AXESS) — that aims to speed up the development of next-generation, high-speed, radiation-hardened detectors for challenging particle physics experiments by using advanced 3D integrated circuits (chiplets) and AI-driven data analysis. In addition to the LDRD support, the team also credits supercomputing resources at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, with MatterChat’s success. “We are incredibly grateful to NERSC; this research simply would not have happened without access to the Perlmutter supercomputer through their AI for Science program,” said Tang. Wenbin Xu, a NERSC postdoctoral fellow at the time, was also a major co-author of the work, as was Benjamin Erichson, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s SDD, highlighting the benefits of AMCR-SDD collaboration on AI for science. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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