That article fail. They said the "known upper limit for life is 250 degrees, while these bacteria can survive in super-heated water up to 600 degrees" That's false. There's known life at underwater volcanoes where the water can get super-heated to WAY over 600 degrees fahrenheit.
Additionally, life doesn't neccesarily require DNA. Life evolved someone else evolves in a different direction, under other circumstances. It could have found another way to replicate without the need for DNA. That is something that has always bugged me with scientists.
Also, as for the cells themselves, assuming they are truely extraterrestrial (I have no opinion either way, as that article was clearly written by someone not all that interested), it could have come from a comet flying past earth. In which case there could be plenty of life in the meteorite belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Speaking of Mars, they recently found a new glacier on earth, created early as 10,000 years ago. If this is proven to be true, that means that Mars had liquid water at the latest around 10,000 years ago, and possible even between now and then, as that disproves the theory scientists have that Mars's thin atmosphere caused all liquid water to escape the atmosphere in to space when it becomes gas from the sun's rays, meaning Mars's water is constantly decreasing due to sublimation of the glaciers. Which also disproves the theory that Mars can't have liquid water, as its atmosphere won't allow it. In case you didn't know, a thin atmosphere means liquid water becomes gas at a lower temperature (hence why it is hard to boil egg in high heights, and why water can become over 600 degrees fahrenheit, due to pressure). Also, it is also believed that Mars can't sustain the required atmosphere to support life, as its gravity is not strong enough, which means water can't stay in liquid form, and in gas form will escape its gravity.
