Observations with 2''.5 (38 pc) resolution of the CO (1 --> 0) emissio
n from the starburst nucleus of M82, obtained with the Berkeley-Illino
is-Maryland Association (BIMA) six-element millimeter-wave array, have
revealed unresolved (< 30 pc) structure in the CO emission with very
high brightness temperature (up to 34 K). The new observations have al
so resolved the previously identified double lobe and central peak in
the integrated CO intensity into many peaks that are all due to ''velo
city crowding'' of several velocity components. Most of the CO emittin
g gas could be located in molecular spiral arms at 125 pc and 390 pc f
rom the nucleus. Outflow motion (similar to 230 km s(-1)) of part of t
he molecular gas normal to the plane is also indicated. The new observ
ations suggest that the starbursts took place within molecular spiral
arms at some distance from the nucleus. The starbursts may in fact hav
e propagated inward. Given the substantial amount of dense molecular g
as still present in the M82 starburst region, it is not clear why the
starburst activity appears to have subsided.