The author (Chotiner) has indeed made a mis-statement about the state of knowledge on planetary CH4, but that doesn't pertain directly to most of the article's

The author (Chotiner) has indeed made a mis-statement about the state of knowledge on planetary CH4, but that doesn't pertain directly to most of the article's content, which is about DNA/RNA. As you point out, the state of Mars CH4 is quite complex and extremely controversial, with 3 different measurements (Curiosity + 2 orbiters), low concentrations observed (~10 ppb) and multiple physical processes going on. Here's a pretty good recent summary: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-02/mars-express-confirms-methane-spike-detected-by-curiosity-rover/10563160 https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-02/mars-express-... The DNA-sensing instrument that's being prototyped is here: http://setg.mit.edu http://setg.mit.edu