Travel & Tech Tourism: Southwest Airlines unveiled 23 new/returning routes for summer 2027, including new nonstop service from Austin to Liberia (Costa Rica), plus Nassau and Punta Cana—an expansion that signals growing LATAM travel demand. Biotech & Public Health: ILiAD Biotechnologies published Phase 2b results in The Lancet Infectious Diseases for its live intranasal pertussis vaccine BPZE1, with a trial spanning the UK, Australia, and Costa Rica. AI & Vision Science: York University researchers used a classic motion illusion to test how “neuro-inspired” AI vision still misses key human perception patterns. Health Policy: New reporting highlights debate over whether HPV vaccination could shift to a single dose, pointing to a Costa Rica trial that found one dose performed at least as well as two over five years. Research & Risk Management (Costa Rica): UCR approved a new Center for Geographical Research (CIGeo) to turn Earth observation and machine learning into tools for flood, forest, coast, and disaster-risk planning. Nature & Conservation: A Fritz Pölking Prize-winning photography series explores how Baird’s tapirs disperse seeds of a rare Costa Rican tree—linking GPS-collared animals to rainforest survival. Geopolitics Survey: A Latinobarómetro poll says favorability toward China is rising across Latin America, including Costa Rica, while US favorability declines.