  In January 2001, air samples were collected from Earth's stratosphere. From
these air samples, cultures of three microorganisms were obtained. It was
reasoned that these microorganisms are of cometary origin and thereby cometary
panspermia stood vindicated. The fact that these microorganisms had essentially
the same characteristics as terrestrial microorganisms was explained using
cometary panspermia. Here, the findings are reinterpreted in the light of niche
ecology and adaptations. It is asserted that the microorganisms captured from
the stratosphere cannot be of cometary origin as they are contrary to the kind
of microorganisms one would expect to find in a cometary niche.
