so this tantalizing tidbit was hidden in the article... and there is no further explanation
On Mangalyaan?s first anniversary, understanding the gains from India?s foray to Mars and the Moon - The Hindu
In simple words, the Indian Mission to Mars has found the one of the strongest indicators possible of life as we know it on Earth
. Kiran Kumar, Chairman of ISRO, says he is extremely happy with the Mars mission and hopes some good science will emerge from this largely “technology-demonstrator” mission because it will be able to study seasonal variations on Mars. Mr. Kumar confirms that “MOM has detected signals of the presence of methane on Mars” but scientific validation is still not complete for the results. If indeed MOM confirms the presence of methane gas on Mars, it will be a stellar finding since the next big question will be, is there carbon-based life on Mars?
On Mangalyaan?s first anniversary, understanding the gains from India?s foray to Mars and the Moon - The Hindu
In simple words, the Indian Mission to Mars has found the one of the strongest indicators possible of life as we know it on Earth