...not to project a hypothetical as reality. Keep in mind that we've not yet found a single drop of liquid water on Mars.

All that study shows is that brines would extend the range for liquid water to persist. That's not rocket science. We've known that for a long time. But even brines evaporate and without a source to replenish what was lost, what's left behind is bone dry. You can observe this process every day in the desert right here on earth. So the idea that MER found lumps of mud on a martian desert that hasn't seen rain for perhaps billions of years is absolutely ludicrous.