Blogroll

It’s not every day we get to see a visual of the entire Sculptor Galaxy, located approximately 10-11 million light-years from Earth, in all its kaleidoscopic splendour.

Luckily for us, astronomers have created a magnificent visual map of the spiral galaxy, also known as NGC 253, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) located in Chile. In a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, researchers used the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on the telescope to valiantly observe the Sculptor Galaxy for 50 hours. Then, they merged 100 images into one dazzling map.

SEE ALSO: Scientists spotted a giant comet spewing gas 2 billion miles from sun

ESO researcher Enrico Congiu led the study alongside Kathryn Kreckel and Fabian Scheuermann from Heidelberg University, Adam Leroy from Ohio State University, and a large team of researchers from all over the globe. In a statement, Congiu explained why the 65,000 light-years-wide system is so visually appealing to astronomers despite being a challenging task.

"The Sculptor Galaxy is in a sweet spot," Congiu said. "It is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system."

Alright, let's get to the good stuff. Here's one of the research team's images of the Sculptor Galaxy — and it's undeniably spectacular. "Regions of pink light are spread throughout this whole galactic snapshot, which come from ionised hydrogen in star-forming regions," reads the study image description. "These areas have been overlaid on a map of already formed stars in Sculptor to create the mix of pinks and blues seen here."

An image of the Sculptor Galaxy created using images from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO / E. Congiu et al.

Here's another image from study, described by the research team as a "false-colour composition [that] shows specific wavelengths of light released by hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. These elements exist in gas form all over the galaxy, but the mechanisms causing this gas to glow can vary throughout the galaxy. The pink light represents gas excited by the radiation of newborn stars, while the cone of whiter light at the centre is caused by an outflow of gas from the black hole at the galaxy’s core."

An image of the Sculptor Galaxy created using images from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO / E. Congiu et al.

The Sculptor Galaxy map contains thousands of colours, a spectrum of which, the researchers explain, can help astronomers understand the system's components (known as planetary nebulae) like specific regions of dust and gas and how they all move within the galaxy. With such detailed imagery, researchers can get up really close, even to observe individual stars. "We can zoom in to study individual regions where stars form at nearly the scale of individual stars, but we can also zoom out to study the galaxy as a whole," said Kreckel in a statement.

Why is it important to identify these unique components? "Finding the planetary nebulae allows us to verify the distance to the galaxy — a critical piece of information on which the rest of the studies of the galaxy depend,” said Leroy in a statement.

There's also another image produced in the study, a more distant image of the Sculptor Galaxy, one the researchers described as a "colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximately 3.7 x 3.6 degrees."

A colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). Credit: ESO / Digitized Sky Survey 2 / Davide De Martin

Astronomers spend hours observing galactic entities like this so we're rewarded with such pretty pictures — and Mashable's science team has you covered.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, June 18, 2025:

AcrossHit the stores

• The answer is Shop.

Cross one's fingers

• The answer is Hope.

Here's a thought!

• The answer is Brain.

Old episode

• The answer is Rerun.

Request for a follow on social media

• The answer is AddMe.

DownTear to pieces

• The answer is Shred.

Be bad at throwing things away

• The answer is Hoard.

Drug referenced by the magic poppy field in "The Wizard of Oz"

• The answer is Opium.

Tubular pasta

• The answer is Penne.

Its sizes are measured in cups

• The answer is Bra.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.

TL;DR: Watch Rune vs. McDonald in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Wimbledon is fast approaching, so the best players are busy preparing for the grass season at the historic Queen’s Club. There are a number of top players competing at the in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships, including Holger Rune. The talented Dane takes on Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the quarter finals.

If you want to watch Rune vs. McDonald in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Rune vs. McDonald for free

Rune vs. McDonald in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2025 Queen's Club Championships by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Rune vs. McDonald for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (including money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Rune vs. McDonald without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 Queen's Club Championships before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for only $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Rune vs. McDonald in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Popyrin vs. Draper in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Wimbledon is just around the corner, so the best players are busy preparing for the grass season at the historic Queen’s Club. A number of top players are progressing well in the men's draw, and Popyrin vs. Draper is a particularly interesting matchup.

If you want to watch Popyrin vs. Draper in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Popyrin vs. Draper for free

Popyrin vs. Draper in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2025 Queen's Club Championships by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Popyrin vs. Draper for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (including money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Popyrin vs. Draper without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 Queen's Club Championships before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for only $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Popyrin vs. Draper in the 2025 Queen's Club Championships for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $30: As of June 18, Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) are on sale for $99 at Amazon. That's 23% off their list price of $129 and marks a return to their lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $99 at Amazon
$129 Save $30 Get Deal

Prime Day is coming up soon, and if you're itching to pick up some new Apple tech during the four-day-long sale event, the good news is you actually don't have to wait for the start day. There are already some great deals available at the retailer, including on AirPods 4 (without Active Noise Cancelation) which are back to their lowest-ever price right now.

AirPods 4 (without ANC) are marked down to $99 at Amazon. This is a 23% discount from their list price of $129 and marks a return to their lowest-ever price according to price tracker camelcamelcamel. If they've been on your radar, now is a great time to pick them up ahead of Prime Day.

SEE ALSO: Are you 18-24? Get 6 months of Amazon Prime for free ahead of Prime Day.

AirPods 4 boast excellent sound quality so you can enjoy your favorite songs, podcasts, and audiobooks all summer long. They also have Personalized Spatial Audio that surrounds you in the sounds you're listening to, and you'll be able to listen for hours thanks to a battery life of up to five hours. You can even push it to up to 30 hours of listening time when using the charging case.

Considering they're at their lowest-ever price, there's no better time than now to pick up the AirPods 4 (without ANC). Don't miss out on this great deal right now at Amazon.

This year's Prime Day sale is a four-day-long event running from July 8-11. If you're not yet a Prime Member but want to join in on the fun, have a look at our guide on how to sign up for Amazon Prime ahead of Prime Day.

The best early Prime Day deals, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Wi-Fi, 40mm, S/M Green) — $199.99 (List Price $299.99)

Jon Stewart's interview with the winner of the recent Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in NYC isn't like any regular interview, because it turns out the two already know each other — the contest winner, George Gountas, actually works on The Daily Show as a lighting designer.

In the clip above, Gountas describes how he came to be in the contest — someone at work told him about it, and then his wife encouraged him — before addressing Materialists star Pascal himself directly through the camera lens with a special request.

"Hey Pedro. This is Pedro #5 from New York. It would be a great, great, great gift if you could meet my wife Jenny. It would mean the world to her. We need to make this happen."

Stewart's response? "I don't see how Pedro #1 could turn down Pedro #5."

SAVE OVER $200: As of June 18, the Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is on sale for $799.98 at Amazon. That's 20% off its list price of $999.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Philips Philips 4400 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine $799.98 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $200.01 Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner, but thankfully, you don't have to wait for the sale event to start in order to take advantage of some nice deals. Amazon already has quite a few deals worth considering. If you've been looking to pick up an espresso machine to help you start your mornings on the right foot, the retailer currently has a nice deal on the Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine that's worth checking out.

The Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine has received a 20% discount at Amazon, dropping its price from $999.99 to $799.98. It's quite an impressive machine as well, boasting 12 hot and cool recipes to choose from. It's currently listed as a limited-time deal, so if it has caught your eye, now is the time to pick it up.

SEE ALSO: Are you 18-24? Get 6 months of Amazon Prime for free ahead of Prime Day.

As mentioned before, there are 12 recipes to choose from with this Philips espresso machine: espresso, coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, iced coffee, americano, caffè crema, latte, ristretto, coffee with milk, iced americano, and iced espresso. It also features noise-reducing technology, so you can brew in the early mornings without waking up the whole house.

Why wait for Prime Day? Don't miss out on the Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine marked down to $799.98 at Amazon.

This year's Amazon Prime Day event runs from July 8-11 (yep, four days!). If you're curious on how to join in on the action this year, check out our guide on how to sign up for Amazon Prime ahead of Prime Day to learn more.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Wi-Fi, 40mm, S/M Green) — $199.99 (List Price $299.99)

We are excited to share our first big milestone in solving a grand challenge that has hampered the predictive power of computational chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science for decades. By using a scalable deep-learning approach and generating an unprecedented quantity of diverse, highly accurate data, we have achieved a breakthrough in the accuracy of density functional theory (DFT), the workhorse method that thousands of scientists use every year to simulate matter at the atomistic level. Within the region of chemical space represented in our large training dataset, our model reaches the accuracy required to reliably predict experimental outcomes, as assessed on the well-known benchmark dataset W4-17 (opens in new tab). This removes a fundamental barrier to shifting the balance of molecule and material design from being driven by laboratory experiments to being driven by computational simulations. The implications for accelerating scientific discovery are far reaching, spanning applications from drugs to batteries and green fertilizers.

What is DFT?

Molecules and materials are made of atoms, which are held together by their electrons. These electrons act as a glue, determining the stability and properties of the chemical structure. Accurately computing the strength and properties of the electron glue is essential for predicting whether a chemical reaction will proceed, whether a candidate drug molecule will bind to its target protein, whether a material is suitable for carbon capture, or if a flow battery can be optimized for renewable energy storage. Unfortunately, a brute-force approach amounts to solving the many-electron Schrödinger equation, which requires computation that scales exponentially with the number of electrons. Considering that an atom has dozens of electrons, and that molecules and materials have large numbers of atoms, we could easily end up waiting the age of the universe to complete our computation unless we restrict our attention to small systems with only a few atoms.

DFT, introduced by Walter Kohn and collaborators in 1964-1965, was a true scientific breakthrough, earning Kohn the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998. DFT provides an extraordinary reduction in the computational cost of calculating the electron glue in an exact manner, from exponential to cubic, making it possible to perform calculations of practical value within seconds to hours.

DFT Timeline What is the grand challenge in DFT? 

But there is a catch: the exact reformulation has a small but crucial term—the exchange-correlation (XC) functional—which Kohn proved is universal (i.e., the same for all molecules and materials), but for which no explicit expression is known. For 60 years, people have designed practical approximations for the XC functional. The magazine Science dubbed the gold rush to design better XC models the “pursuit of the Divine Functional (opens in new tab)”. With time, these approximations have grown into a zoo of hundreds of different XC functionals from which users must choose, often using experimental data as a guide. Owing to the uniquely favorable computational cost of DFT, existing functionals have enabled scientists to gain extremely useful insight into a huge variety of chemical problems. However, the limited accuracy and scope of current XC functionals mean that DFT is still mostly used to interpret experimental results rather than predict them.

Why is it important to increase the accuracy of DFT? 

We can contrast the present state of computational chemistry with the state of aircraft engineering and design. Thanks to predictive simulations, aeronautical engineers no longer need to build and test thousands of prototypes to identify one viable design. However, this is exactly what we currently must do in molecular and materials sciences. We send thousands of potential candidates to the lab, because the accuracy of the computational methods is not sufficient to predict the experiments. To make a significant shift in the balance from laboratory to in silico experiments, we need to remove the fundamental bottleneck of the insufficient accuracy of present XC functionals. This amounts to bringing the error of DFT calculations with respect to experiments within chemical accuracy, which is around 1 kcal/mol for most chemical processes. Present approximations typically have errors that are 3 to 30 times larger.

How can AI make a difference? 

AI can transform how we model molecules and materials with DFT by learning the XC functional directly from highly accurate data. The goal is to learn how the XC functional captures the complex relationship between its input, the electron density, and its output, the XC energy. You can think of the density like a glue, with regions of space where there is a lot of it and other regions with less of it. Traditionally, researchers have built XC functional approximations using the concept of the so-called Jacob’s ladder: a hierarchy of increasingly complex, hand-designed descriptors of the electron density. Including density descriptors from higher rungs of this ladder aims to improve accuracy, but it comes at the price of increased computational cost. Even the few attempts that use machine learning have stayed within this traditional paradigm, thereby taking an approach that is akin to what people were doing in computer vision and speech recognition before the deep-learning era. Progress toward better accuracy has stagnated for at least two decades with this approach. 

Our project is driven by the intuition that a true deep learning approach—where relevant representations of the electron density are learned directly from data in a computationally scalable way—has the potential to revolutionize the accuracy of DFT, much like deep learning has transformed other fields. A significant challenge with going down this path, however, is that feature or representation learning is very data-hungry, and there is very little data around—too little to test this hypothesis reliably.

What have we done in this milestone?

The first step was generating data—a lot of it. This posed a major challenge, since the data must come from accurate solutions of the many-electron Schrödinger equation, which is precisely the prohibitively expensive problem that DFT is designed to replace. Fortunately, decades of progress in the scientific community have led to smarter, more efficient variants of brute-force methods, making it possible to compute reference data for small molecules at experimental accuracy. While these high-accuracy methods, also referred to as wavefunction methods, are far too costly for routine use in applications, we made a deliberate investment in them for this project. The reason? The upfront cost of generating high-quality training data is offset by the long-term benefit of enabling vast numbers of industrially relevant applications with cost effective DFT using the trained XC functional. Crucially, we rely on the ability of DFT—and our learned XC functional—to generalize from high-accuracy data for small systems to larger, more complex molecules. 

There are many different high-accuracy wavefunction methods, each tailored to different regions of chemical space. However, their use at scale is not well established, as they require extensive expertise—small methodological choices can significantly affect accuracy at the level that we target. We therefore joined forces with Prof. Amir Karton (opens in new tab) from the University of New England, Australia, a world-leading expert who developed widely recognized benchmark datasets for a fundamental thermochemical property: atomization energy—the energy required to break all bonds in a molecule and separate it into individual atoms. To create a training dataset of atomization energies at unprecedented scale, our team at Microsoft built a scalable pipeline to produce highly diverse molecular structures. Using these structures and substantial Azure compute resources via Microsoft’s Accelerating Foundation Models Research program (opens in new tab), Prof. Karton applied a high-accuracy wavefunction method to compute the corresponding energy labels. The result is a dataset (opens in new tab) two orders of magnitude larger than previous efforts. We are releasing a large part of this dataset (opens in new tab) to the scientific community.

Data generation was only half of the challenge. We also needed to design a dedicated deep-learning architecture for the XC functional—one that is both computationally scalable and capable of learning meaningful representations from electron densities to accurately predict the XC energy. Our team of machine learning specialists, assisted by DFT experts, introduced a series of innovations that solve these and other challenges inherent to this complex learning problem. The result is Skala, an XC functional that generalizes to unseen molecules, reaching the accuracy needed to predict experiments. This demonstrates for the first time that deep learning can truly disrupt DFT: reaching experimental accuracy does not require the computationally expensive hand-designed features of Jacob’s ladder. Instead, we can retain the original computational complexity of DFT while allowing the XC functional to learn how to extract meaningful features and predict accurate energies.

We compare the accuracy of Skala against the best existing functionals of varying computational cost. The prediction errors are evaluated on two well-known public benchmark datasets: the W4-17 dataset for atomization energies (y axis, mean absolute error) and the GMTKN55 dataset for general main-group chemistry (x axis, weighted total mean absolute deviation, or WTMAD-2 for short). Skala achieves near “chemical accuracy” (1 kcal/mol) on atomization energies. This is the accuracy required for predictive modeling of laboratory experiments, which, to date, no existing functional has reached. Skala works especially well on the “single reference” subset of this dataset, reaching a groundbreaking 0.85 kcal/mol. On the GMTKN55 dataset, Skala shows competitive accuracy to the best-performing hybrid functionals, at a lower cost.

“Skala is a new density functional for the exchange-correlation energy that employs meta-GGA ingredients plus D3 dispersion and machine-learned nonlocal features of the electron density. Some exact constraints were imposed, and some others “emerge” from the fitting to about 150,000 accurate energy differences for sp molecules and atoms. Skala achieves high, hybrid-like accuracy on a large and diverse data set of properties of main group molecules, which has no overlap with its training set. The computational cost of Skala is higher than that of the r2SCAN meta-GGA for small molecules, but about the same for systems with 1,000 or more occupied orbitals. Its cost seems to be only 10% of the cost of standard hybrids and 1% of the cost of local hybrids. Developed by a Microsoft team of density functional theorists and deep-learning experts, Skala could be the first machine-learned density functional to compete with existing functionals for wide use in computational chemistry, and a sign of things to come in that and related fields. Skala learned from big data and was taught by insightful human scientists.”

— John P. Perdew, Professor of Physics, School of Science and Engineering, Tulane University

This first milestone was achieved for a challenging property in a specific region of chemical space—atomization energies of main group molecules—for which we generated our initial large batch of high-accuracy training data. Building on this foundation, we have started to expand our training dataset to cover a broader range of general chemistry, using our scalable in-house data generation pipeline. With the first small batch of training data beyond atomization energies, we have already extended the accuracy of our model, making it competitive with the best existing XC functionals across a wider spectrum of main group chemistry. This motivates us to continue growing our high-accuracy data generation campaign, engaging with external experts such as Prof. Amir Karton, who noted, “After years of benchmarking DFT methods against experimental accuracy, this is the first time I’ve witnessed such an unprecedented leap in the accuracy–cost trade-off. It is genuinely exciting to see how the creation of our new dataset has enabled these groundbreaking results — opening up a path for transformative advances across chemical, biochemical, and materials research.”

Advancing computational chemistry together

We are excited to work closely with the global computational chemistry community to accelerate progress for all and look forward to openly releasing our first XC functional in the near future. 

“Density Functional Theory (DFT) and related technologies are a core Digital Chemistry technology supporting advancements in Merck’s diverse Life Science, Healthcare and Electronics businesses. However, the limitations of traditional DFT methods, which have persisted for the last 50 years, have hindered its full potential. Microsoft Research’s innovative approach to integrating deep learning represents a substantial leap, enhancing its accuracy, robustness, and scalability. We are looking forward to exploring how this can advance Digital Chemistry workflows and unlock new possibilities for the future, aligning with our commitment to developing advanced algorithms and technologies that propel scientific innovation at Merck.”

— Jan Gerit Brandenburg – Director for Digital Chemistry at Merck 

“We are entering a golden age for predictive and realistic simulations: very accurate electronic-structure calculations provide vast amounts of consistent data that can be used to train novel machine-learning architectures, delivering the holy grail of precision and computational efficiency.”

— Professor Nicola Marzari, Chair of Theory and Simulation of Materials, EPFL and PSI

We believe that our new functional can help unlock new opportunities for businesses and are eager to work together on real-world applications. Today, we are delighted to launch the DFT Research Early Access Program (DFT REAP) and welcome Flagship Pioneering as the first participant. This program is for companies and research labs to collaborate with us to accelerate innovation across many industries. To find out more about how to join this program please visit: https://aka.ms/DFT-REAP (opens in new tab) 

“Microsoft’s effort to enhance the predictive power of computational chemistry reflects a bold but thoughtful step toward a simulation-first future. At Flagship, we believe that openly shared, foundational advances in science – like this leap forward in DFT accuracy – can serve as powerful enablers of innovation. These next-generation tools promise to accelerate discovery across a wide range of sectors, from therapeutics to materials science, by helping researchers navigate chemical and biological space with far greater precision and speed.”

— Junaid Bajwa, M.D., Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering and Science Partner at Pioneering Intelligence

By making our work available to the scientific community, we hope to enable widespread testing and gather valuable feedback that will guide future improvements. For the first time, deep learning offers a clear and computationally scalable path to building an accurate, efficient, and broadly applicable model of the universal XC functional—one that could transform the computational design of molecules and materials.

Skala Paper Dataset Paper Dataset Acknowledgement

This work is the product of a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary effort led by Microsoft Research AI for Science, in partnership with colleagues from Microsoft Research Accelerator, Microsoft Quantum and the University of New England. The full author list includes Giulia Luise, Chin-Wei Huang, Thijs Vogels, Derk P. Kooi, Sebastian Ehlert, Stephanie Lanius, Klaas J. H. Giesbertz, Amir Karton, Deniz Gunceler, Megan Stanley, Wessel P. Bruinsma, Victor Garcia Satorras, Marwin Segler, Kenji Takeda, Lin Huang, Xinran Wei, José Garrido Torres, Albert Katbashev, Rodrigo Chavez Zavaleta, Bálint Máté, Sékou-Oumar Kaba, Roberto Sordillo, Yingrong Chen, David B. Williams-Young, Christopher M. Bishop, Jan Hermann, Rianne van den Berg and Paola Gori Giorgi. 

Opens in a new tab

The post Breaking bonds, breaking ground: Advancing the accuracy of computational chemistry with deep learning appeared first on Microsoft Research.

"That blue umbrella is still stashed under my bed," Carletta says, recalling the fateful evening that she was declared 'cringe' by a certified Cool person. Two years ago, the policy analyst met her friends at a wine bar in New York and carried an extra umbrella in case someone forgot and got stuck in the rain. "This girl — she does ballet, has the longest eyelashes, and moves through the world effortlessly — said it was a bit try-hard and cringe of me, you bet I've never lugged another umbrella again," Carletta confesses. 

If that made you wince even a little, you're probably familiar with the apparent social prison of being caught in a cringe moment. Lately, it seems as if we're playing a complex game where you have to duck fast enough to dodge any allegations of cringe. Emojis can be cringe (the awkward grimace, the skull, the thumbs up!), liking someone's Instagram Story within seconds of posting can be cringe, calling it a Brat Summer in 2025 can be cringe — anything goes. People have published books on how to avoid being cringe in the digital age, while TikTok has multiple hashtags from #DatingCringe to #CringeFriend that have amassed tens of millions of posts. 

SEE ALSO: Has social media made sightseeing deeply uncool?

But the internet's cringe-obsession could be keeping young people from pursuing the things in life they want the most.

What does cringe mean, and why does it matter?

So what is this all-too-familiar feeling that makes you want to curl up in a ball and crawl out of your skin? "Cringe is a type of vicarious embarrassment that you feel when you or someone else deviates from a social expectation. It is usually experienced in the presence of others and makes us feel like we don't belong," explains Morgan Cope, an assistant professor of psychology at Centre College. 

While cringe itself is a social emotion, this race to curate a persona that knows what's in and what's out seems to be holding us back from developing honest and vulnerable relationships. 

Per Hinge's Gen Z report, 56 percent of young daters believe that worrying about rejection has held them back from pursuing a romantic connection, while a study from market research firm Morning Consult reveals that 51 percent of Gen Z feel too socially awkward to develop meaningful relationships. 

"The fear of cringe first impacts your relationship with yourself by creating self-doubt and then bleeds into how you interact with others by dissuading you from showing up authentically," Cope adds. In the internet era, when anyone can become a viral TikTok within seconds, we are so focused on protecting our performative image of coolness that seeking genuine friendships takes a backseat.

So, how can we overcome this anxiety of cringe purgatory and learn to be vulnerable again? Speaking to those who have battled cringe, and the experts with tips on how to refocus our priorities, Mashable has a guide to working it all out. 

Acknowledge that it's impossible to always be cool

Alina, a sales associate from London, has stopped liking strangers' Instagram Reels unless they feature puppies. "When you're scrolling on Instagram, it shows if someone you follow has liked the video — I despise this feature. I'm always scared of double-tapping on videos that are ha-ha funny at the moment but may seem cringe to someone else later. I don't want that to define me," she shares. 

In the internet era, when anyone can become a viral TikTok within seconds, we are so focused on protecting our performative image of coolness that seeking genuine friendships takes a backseat.

At a time when the average American spends over seven hours a day online, we have convinced ourselves that what we post, share, and (in this case) like is a micro-expression of who we are. In the hopes of staying on top of the social ladder, people often restrict themselves online, transforming a space that was once a shrine for silly selfies and wholesome moments with friends into a hyper-curated grid of shareable content. 

Club this with the present techno-cultural landscape where icks (turn offs) and trends change at breakneck speed, and you quickly realise, it is nearly impossible to keep up with what is or isn't classified as cringe. 

Cope reminds us, "The social expectation from people is rapidly evolving online. Even if you try to keep up with trends, the act of being cool and not cringe is always just out of reach, pushing you to endlessly participate in this self-evolution and impeding a true understanding of your own likes and dislikes." 

We need to realise that chasing this ideal is standing in the way of real conversations and long-lasting connections. After all, how can we develop authentic relationships if we're too busy jumping on the bandwagon of the latest trend? 

Lean into the intimacy of being cringe

Maybe the memes were right all along: to be cringe is to be free. If the anxiety of coming across icky suppresses our quirks and forces us to play it cool when we want to reach out, it erases the messy, honest parts of us that make us who we are. 

"Love lies in the moments we let our guard down, to have deep, meaningful relationships, we have to stop trying to be palatable," says Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's love and connection expert. This is often easier said than done, so Brown suggests taking it one little step at a time. 

"Practice micro-moments of realness, instead of going all-in immediately, start by sharing something personal. You could say, 'This is a little awkward, but I want to be honest.' These moments build trust and emotional muscle memory," the expert explains. 

It could also help to gently shift your mindset around raw, open conversations. Make a conscious effort to avoid skipping to the worst-case scenario and assuming someone will find you weird. Give them the chance to surprise you or to understand you better. 

Are you afraid of cringe, or are your friends?

Friendship coach and educator Danielle Bayard Jackson believes the first step to undoing the fear of cringe is to identify if the feeling is rooted in you or borrowed from the people around you. "The frequency matters: if I'm always afraid of being cringe or of looking foolish, that could be rooted in a deeper self-esteem issue," she says. "But if it comes up with a specific set of people, it may expose a fragility in the relationship." 

In the case of the latter, it is important to introspect on why these individuals have this impact on you. Could it be that you feel intimidated in their presence? Could it be that their actions make you feel less than? If this is a burgeoning relationship that matters to you, it may be worth having a conversation to flag how you're feeling. It is also paramount to remember that your friends are not drawn to you because of how cool you are, as cliché as it sounds, it's the deeper, gooey stuff matters a lot more. 

Okay, you did something cringe. So what? 

While we are socialised to believe that an embarrassing moment is the be-all and end-all, it is actually far from it. If someone is ready to receive and create space for a relationship, whether you use uncool emojis or outdated slang is not going to send them running to the hills. In fact, a Bumble spokesperson told Mashable that 36 percent of Gen Z believe they can move past an ick. Even if you think of the people closest to you, it's likely that you didn't build those connections by being perfect and distant. 

Carletta is trying to be more expressive, too. "The umbrella thing stays with me, but I am putting myself in more uncomfortable spots. I recently approached a girl in a cafe to compliment her outfit and only realised later that I had something in my teeth. The old me would die from the embarrassment of seeming like a friendless loser, but the new me is trying to laugh it off as cute cringe," she says.

In the moments that we feel critical of ourselves, it's important to unpack the cringe taboo and remember that we are complex, multidimensional individuals. Yes, we can do stupid, silly things that may be deemed uncool by the social powers that be, but by accepting our whole selves, we are opening up space for real, unfiltered relationships where vulnerability isn't withheld, it's invited. 

Amazon gift cards usually come with the starting balance printed on the physical card or mentioned in the email if you receive an eGift card. But what if you want to check the balance on a gift card that you previously redeemed to see if you have enough left over to splurge during the four-day Prime Day sale in 2025 (which officially kicks off on July 8)? Or maybe you want to reload a gift card you've already used up? Check the state of your gift cards before your summer shopping spree by following the steps below.

How to check your Amazon gift card balance on your desktop

Follow these simple steps to check or reload your Amazon gift card balance:

1. Open the Amazon website.

2. Click on Accounts & Lists on the top right corner of the screen.

   Credit: Screenshot: Amazon website

3. A new menu page will open on the website. Select Gift cards.

   Credit: Screenshot: Amazon website

4. Once you click, you'll be able to see the existing balance on your gift card. If you are checking the balance on an unredeemed gift card and wish to redeem it, you can click on Redeem a Gift card. You can also opt to Reload your card in this menu or check your transaction history which is listed below the gift card balance.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon website How to check your Amazon gift card balance in the app

1. Open the app and click on the account icon at the bottom of the landing page (the little person illustration). Then choose Account at the top of the landing page.

   Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

2. Scroll down until you see the Payments section.

3. In the Payments section, click on Manage gift card balance.

   Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

4. Use the new menu that opens to check your gift card balance, reload your gift card, or check past activity.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for June 18 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 18, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To eat.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter M.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

MUNCH.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 18

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

Have a Visa gift card that you keep forgetting to use? Prime Day is the perfect rainy day to break that bad boy out — you'll be able to squeeze way more out of those free funds when just about everything is discounted. And BTW, the shopping event is four days long this year, a first for the summer shopping event. Prime Day 2025 officially kicks off on July 8 and runs all the way through July 11.

Adding a Visa gift card on Amazon isn't the process that you'd expect, though. While it is technically a gift card, it can't be registered as a gift card like an official Amazon gift card would. Instead, you'll have to register the gift card like you would register a legit Visa debit or credit card to start using it as a payment method.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime How to add a Visa gift card to make purchases on Amazon

The process might seem complicated, but follow these simple steps and should have no issues:

1. Go to Amazon on your phone, tablet, or computer and find your Account tab. On the mobile app, your Account lives in the little person icon at the bottom of the screen and in the three horizontal lines at the bottom right side of the screen. On a web browser, hover over Accounts & Lists at the top right corner of the webpage, then select Account from the dropdown menu that appears.

2. Once there, scroll to find the Your Payments tab. This option will take you to your digital wallet where you can view your added payment methods.

3. Click on Add a payment method. Because the gift card is a Visa, it functions like a regular debit or credit card, so scroll down to the credit or debit cards category to add the new card.

4. You'll then be prompted to add the necessary card information like the card number and expiration date.

5. Then, it'll ask for the Billing Address. Prepaid Visa gift cards aren't tied to a name or address, so you won't actually receive a billing statement. You can add your own address to be quick, or call the customer service number to get the card issuer's address.

SEE ALSO: Walmart vs. Amazon: Which retail giant has the best deals?

There are a few caveats to consider when using a Visa gift card on Amazon. First, not all Visa gift cards may work as debit or credit cards on Amazon. Some may require users to use a CVV to authorize a purchase. Since Amazon doesn't ask for this information while adding payment methods, these Visa gift cards might not go through.

Also, Amazon doesn't allow users to combine multiple cards for a single transaction. This means that you can't cover your total with two Visa gift cards, or use up the remaining gift card balance as a partial payment and cover the rest with another credit or debit card. Keep an eye on your cart total as you chip away at it and make sure that the total order cost (including shipping and taxes) doesn't exceed the account balance.

There is, however, a workaround for tracking that Visa gift card balance. You can use the Visa gift card to add or reload funds on an Amazon gift card, which you can then apply toward future Amazon purchases. Once you add a Visa gift card as an Amazon payment method to your account by following the steps above, you can purchase an Amazon gift card for the full amount of the Visa gift card balance (taking into account any fees the Visa card may deduct upon use), or follow these steps to access your existing Amazon gift card balance and reload funds.

Opens in a new window Credit: Visa Add a Visa gift card to your Amazon account Learn More

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 18 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Gloomy weather

• Green: Precisely

• Blue: Parts of a group

• Purple: Anatomy terms

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Qualities of a rainy day

• Green: Squarely

• Blue: Contents of a pod

• Purple: Body parts plus a starting letter

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #738 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Qualities of a rainy day: COLD, GRAY, WET, WINDY

• Squarely: DEAD, EXACTLY, RIGHT, SMACK

• Contents of a pod: ASTRONAUT, COFFEE, PEA, WHALE

• Body parts plus a starting letter: BARM, LEAR, RANKLE, SHIP

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 18

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 18 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Down time

The words are mood-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are ways to describe a somber mood.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sadness

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for June 18

• Melancholy

• Blue

• Woebegone

• Sadness

• Doleful

• Teary

• Gloomy

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

SAVE $20: As of June 18, Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones are on sale for $39.98 at Amazon. That's a 33% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore Anker Life Q20 $39.98 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20.01 Get Deal

Prime Day has officially been announced for 2025, and good news: there's not long to wait. But if you're in need of some great deals right now, then look no further than this stellar deal on the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones. As of June 18, you can take home these impressive headphones for under $40, now just $39.98.

These headphones use custom 40mm drivers to provide clear, hi-res audio. They feature hybrid active noise cancellation with four built-in microphones that reduce background sounds like traffic and airplane noise by up to 90%. Double tap to activate the BassUp technology, a function that (as the name suggests) boosts the bass when listening to bass-heavy music.

SEE ALSO: Get this huge Hisense TV at its best-ever price ahead of Prime Day

Battery life is impressive too, offering up to 40 hours with noise cancellation and 60 hours in standard mode. Plus, a quick five-minute charge gives you around four hours of playtime. Not needing to charge daily is always a plus.

Head to Amazon to grab this latest Soundcore deal ahead of Prime Day.

The best early Prime Day deals, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Wi-Fi, 40mm, S/M Green) — $199.99 (List Price $299.99)

Donald Trump's newly announced Trump Mobile network and T1 smartphone have been roundly mocked by Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert, and in the video above Jimmy Kimmel joins in.

"Their website was a mess from the get-go. When they launched yesterday their coverage map said Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America, so he had them take that down, there have been reports that it is difficult to even order the phone, and even though they're billing the phones as all-American and made in the USA, the phone appears to be a reskinned version of a Chinese phone made by a company called Wingtech," says Kimmel in his Tuesday night monologue.

"Wingtech sells the same phone on Amazon for $171 right now. But once it gets spray-painted gold and emblazoned with the word Trump, it's $500. He's selling an all-American Chinese phone. I wonder if he'll slap some tariffs on himself for this."

To emphasise how ridiculous this whole thing is, Kimmel ends with a simple comparison. "I just want you to imagine Barack Obama, while he was in office, selling something like this," he says. "You think Fox News would be excited about that?"

For more information on the T1 smartphone itself, here's how it compares to the iPhone 16.

Humans are not static creatures. Living is a process of discovery — of the world, of each other, and of yourself. As such, the name a person is given at birth isn't always the name they wish to carry to death. There are countless reasons why someone may choose to change their name, including marriage, affirmation of their gender identity, or simple dislike of the name they currently hold.

Fortunately, Facebook allows users to easily change their name on their profile, so you aren't stuck forever with the one you entered when first creating your account. Facebook itself changed its company name to Meta, after all.

Here's how to change your name on your Facebook account.

How to change your Facebook account name on desktop Total Time

• 2 min

What You Need

• Desktop or laptop

Step 1: Open Facebook.

Step 2: Click on the down arrow icon in the top right corner of your screen to open a menu.

Step 3: Click the "Settings & privacy" cog icon.

Step 4: Click the "Settings" cog icon and in the search bar type "Name."

Credit: Mashable screenshot / Facebook

Step 5: Click "Name" in the search results.

Credit: Mashable screenshot /Facebook

Step 6: Enter your new name, then click "Review Change."

Step 7: Choose how you want your name to be displayed — either your full first, middle, then last name; just your first and last name; or your surname, middle, then first name. Then enter your Facebook password and click "Save changes."

How to change your Facebook account name on mobile Total Time

• 2 min

What You Need

• Smartphone
• Facebook app

Step 1: Open the Facebook app.

Step 2: Tap the "Menu" profile picture icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.

Step 3: Tap the cog icon in the top right corner of your screen to open your settings.

Step 4: Search "Name" in the search bar and select it.

Step 5: Enter your new name, then tap "Review Change."

Step 6: Choose how you want your name to be displayed — either your full first, middle, then last name; just your first and last name; or your surname, middle, then first name. Then enter your Facebook password and tap "Save changes."

It's a good idea to check for spelling mistakes before confirming the change, as well as make sure you're happy to stick with your new name for a while. Facebook doesn't let you change your name again within 60 days of altering it, so if you have second thoughts you'll just have to live with it for at least two months.

SEE ALSO: How to unlink Facebook and Instagram

There are some restrictions as to what Facebook considers a valid name. The social media platform refuses to accept titles such as Doctor or Queen, as well as offensive and suggestive words. It also won't allow symbols, numbers, unusual capitalisation, or punctuation, though X Æ A-Xii Musk is still normal enough by Facebook's standards.

Unfortunately, Facebook won't accept characters from multiple languages either. Anyone with an English first name and Chinese middle name for example will therefore have to transliterate one or the other to make their whole name fit under Facebook's rules.

However, Mashable was pleased to discover and is delighted to report that "Honey Glazed Ham" is considered a perfectly reasonable name.

Found my new pen name. Credit: Facebook

UPDATE: Jun. 18, 2025, 10:24 a.m. UTC This story was originally published Nov. 8, 2023 and was updated June 18, 2025.

SAVE OVER $150: As of June 18, the 75-inch Hisense QD7 Mini-LED 4K Smart TV is on sale for $648.99 at Amazon. That's 19% off and its lowest-ever price at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch Class QD7 Series Mini-LED 4K UHD TV $648.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $151 Get Deal

The summer's hottest sale event is on the horizon: Amazon's Prime Day. If you're hoping to score some great deals this year, the good news is you don't actually have to wait for the four-day sale event to kick off. Amazon already has some great deals available on tech. One of our favorites at the moment is the 75-inch Hisense QD7 Mini-LED 4K Smart TV, which is down to its lowest-ever price right now.

The 75-inch Hisense QD7 Mini-LED 4K Smart TV has dropped from its list price of $799.99 to $648.99, offering up a nice 19% discount.

SEE ALSO: Are you 18-24? Get 6 months of Amazon Prime for free ahead of Prime Day.

Alongside its big 75-inch screen size, which is great for a movie nights, the Hisense QD7 brings your favorite movies and shows to life in vibrant detail with 4K resolution and QLED color. It also features Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, which help create a more immersive experience for your eyes and ears. On top of all that, it's also a Fire TV, so you can stream from all of your favorite apps with ease.

This Prime Day-worthy deal on the 75-inch Hisense QD7 Mini-LED 4K Smart TV is worth jumping on now while it's still at its lowest-ever price.

If you're hoping to get in on the Prime Day action this year, check out our guide on how to sign up for Amazon Prime.

The best early Prime Day deals, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Wi-Fi, 40mm, S/M Green) — $199.99 (List Price $299.99)

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on June 17-21. Summer Heat, hosted by Indie Author Central, offers books in a variety of genres with summer themes.

We quite simply can't get enough of Stuff Your Kindle Days. These awesome events provide an opportunity to stock up on hundreds of books for absolutely nothing. And better yet, the books that you download are yours to keep forever.

The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is focused on romance books. Summer Heat, hosted by Indie Author Central, offers romance books in a variety of genres with summer themes. So if you're looking to kick off the summer in style with summer-themed books, this is your chance to boost your library without spending anything.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindles in 2025

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Summer Heat takes place from June 17-21. Unlike a lot of Stuff Your Kindle Days, this event takes place over five days. That gives you more time to peruse all the options and find exactly what you're looking for.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The great thing about Stuff Your Kindle Day is that anyone can participate. Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them straight from your phone.

Which e-books are free?

Finding all of these free romance books is straightforward thanks to the helpful hub page on Indie Author Central. Head there now and check out everything on offer.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books per month that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow, so don't hold back.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + 3 Months of Kindle Unlimited $109.99 at Amazon
$145.96 Save $35.97 Get Deal Why we like it

These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Prices start at $109.99, a great price for those on a budget, but if you want to save even more, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited absolutely free during Stuff Your Kindle Day.

Kindle Unlimited costs $11.99 per month and allows you to borrow up to 20 months per month. For a limited time, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free, saving you $35.97.

SAVE $250: As of June 18, the Toshiba 75-inch Class C350 TV is on sale for $399.99 at Amazon. That's a 38% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Toshiba Toshiba 75-Inch Class C350 TV $399.99 at Amazon
$649.99 Save $250 Get Deal

If you're on the hunt for a TV that does it all without breaking the bank, you don't need to wait until Prime Day to find something.

We've found a killer deal at Amazon that you should seriously consider before the Prime Day rush. The Toshiba 75-inch Class C350 TV is currently reduced to its lowest-ever price, meaning you get this impressive 75-inch TV for under $400. That's a ridiculously low price for a massive screen with a whole lot of tech.

SEE ALSO: This budget-friendly TV hit a record-low price ahead of Prime Day

Quality-wise, with this TV you'll get Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10, plus Dolby Atmos for immersive sound. It also has a bezel-less design, so you get more screen to watch without distractions. It also uses Toshiba’s Regza Engine 4K, which is Toshiba's high-performance 4K engine for stunning picture quality, helping bring colors to life. Not to mention, the 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display supports a billion colors, so everything looks super detailed and vibrant.

And if you're a gamer, there’s an Auto Low Latency Game Mode to cut any lag, so your controller commands always feel instant. It also runs on Fire TV, so you get live TV options, streaming channels, and apps all on one screen for easy access.

Sold yet? Head to Amazon for this great early Prime Day deal.

The best early Prime Day deals, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts Products available for purchase through affiliate links. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Wi-Fi, 40mm, S/M Green) — $199.99 (List Price $299.99)