Life Already on Mars?

Kinda random that I feel compelled to share, but alas . . .

Back in my undergraduate years at Penn State, I had expressed interest in joining an astronomy club my sister was a part of which she had recommended. She put me in contact with the professor in charge and we actually met in passing one day. We chatted for some time, and she told me about her loose involvement in some NASA projects. I was also in a microbiology course at the time where we were studying early life with one lecture focusing on tardegrades (probably butchered that spelling, but otherwise known as sea bears), particularly with a focus on their extremophilic nature (e.g., their ability to survive in space).

I had randomly suggested an experiment to the professor that would involve them seeding Mars with these organisms and her response to me was,

“between you and me, and I’m probably not supposed to be telling you this, but…they already have. That’s all I’ll say.”

and the conversation ended almost immediately after. I never ended up joining the group and haven’t spoken to her since, but I’ll never forget that conversation. This would imply that an alien species is right next door assuming it was able to adapt and reproduce. I always wonder if any of their samples survived and if so where they are now . . .