Very interesting...

Mars Odyssey's thermal camera has found hot spots in the Hellas Basin on Mars. They're significantly warmer¹ than their surroundings, day and night. The current theory is that they're geothermal. In which case, the raised temperatures, combined with volcanic emissions, could mean much more favourable conditions for life than most of the Martian surface. Hopefully Mars Global Surveyor will be able to get some high-res optical pictures sometime next year, once the clouds over Hellas clear.

[link, via slashdot]

¹The article says "20 to 40 degrees", but doesn't specify what sort of degrees. Aaaarrgh! Is this too much to expect? Harrumph.

[After digging: The PDF abstract of the relevant conference speech indicates 20-40 Kelvin.]