Science News Roundup: Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk; Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket California-based startup Relativity Space called off the planned debut launch of its 3D-printed rocket in Florida on Wednesday over fuel temperature concerns, delaying a key test of the company's novel strategy for cutting manufacturing costs.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket

California-based startup Relativity Space called off the planned debut launch of its 3D-printed rocket in Florida on Wednesday over fuel temperature concerns, delaying a key test of the company's novel strategy for cutting manufacturing costs. The 110-foot-tall (35-meter) Terran 1 rocket, 85% of which was fabricated from a 3D-printer, had been scheduled to lift off from a U.S. Space Force Base launch pad in Cape Canaveral on Wednesday afternoon. Dwindling "propellant thermal conditions" in the rocket's second stage during a three-hour launch window ultimately forced a scrub, the company said on Twitter.

Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk

A dwarf elephant the size of a Shetland pony once roamed the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. In the West Indies, a giant rat-like rodent tipped the scales at more than 400 pounds (180 kg), rivaling an American black bear. They were examples of the "island effect," a rule in evolutionary biology describing how large-bodied species tend to downsize on islands while small-bodied species upsize. These island dwarfs and giants - a menagerie also including pint-sized hippos, buffaloes and wolves - long have faced an elevated extinction risk that, according to a new study, is intensifying, imperiling some of Earth's most unique creatures.

(With inputs from agencies.)