Yep, they’re still looking at the data though. This wouldn’t be the first time someone has announced the data support life on Mars. The guy (can’t remember his name right now) who designed the experiment where they heated up soil samples and looked at the gases that were given off, always thought it proved there was life on Mars.
Yup. IIRC, he swore on his deathbed that the results of the tests firmly indicated life was there.
We may very well know absolutely in ten months or so when Phoenix sets down.