The two scientists are now denying that this meeting ever took place. They are saying it was actually a party, and they are denying that they made any claims about life on mars, or methane signatures.

The Rio Tinto project is real, and they have found sulfur based life in core samples from there, but that's as much as they will officially say.

I don't know. Sounds like they said it, and are now trying to wipe the egg from their faces.