Earlier this week marked the 25th anniversary of this paper, which announced the discovery of Sinosauropteryx prima by Pei-ji Chen and colleagues. Sinosauropteryx was the first feathered dinosaur to be described in a scientific paper. (Or, if you’re a stickler for precision, it was the first non-avian dinosaur with a feather-like body covering to be described in a scientific paper.) So put on your party hats and read the commemorative piece by Kevin Padian if you can get past the paywall…