D Friday, November 6, 2009 METRO 11 Nadia Forde shows shes a force to be reckoned at the launch of the new Priv Night Club at The Forty Foot in Dn Laoghaire Picture: Brian McEvoy the right to remain striking Not bugged by bacteria A BUG ATLAS of the human body shows where microbes are most likely to thrive. Hotspot skin sites of bacterial diversity included the forearms, palms, index finger, the back of the knee and the sole of the foot. Dr Rob Knight from the University of Colorado said: The goal is to find out what is normal for a healthy person, which will provide a baseline for further studies to look at people with diseased states. About 100trillion bugs live on and within every human being. Study details were published in the journal Science. efficient car sales up since launch of emission bandsBY ROSS McDONAGHYOU can have any colour car, as long as its green, Henry Ford might have said were he around today. More and more motorists are choosing to buy en- ergy efficient cars since the new VRT and motor tax rates were introduced. Figures from Sustainable Energy Ireland show pri- vate cars in the most efficient emission bands (A, B and C) made up 73 per cent of new cars bought after the introduction of the new rates, compared with just 43 per cent for the first six months of 2008. Diesel cars have also doubled in sales between the first and second halves of 2008. There were 2.5million vehicles in the State in 2008, a 2.3 per cent increase on 2007. Private cars accounted for 77 per cent while goods vehicles made up 14 per cent of the total vehicle fleet. Dr Brian Motherway, head of strategy with SEI said: Transport is a huge fuel user, accounting for more than one third of Irelands total primary en- ergy demand. The car tax changes have altered our car buying patterns, and we expect to see this holding firm when the sector recovers and purchasing grows. It is positive to see that this policy intervention is suc- ceeding in encouraging consumers towards more energy efficient cars. Green Party Transport spokesperson Ciaran Cuffe welcomed the fact that average CO2 emissions of new cars purchased between July 2008 and 2009 have fallen by 12 per cent. This is a significant step towards changing the way we consume energy so that Ireland can reduce its dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions, he said. Boyzone honoured for gay awareness raising BOYZONE were last night honoured by gay campaign group Stonewall for the late Stephen Gatelys contribution towards raising gay awareness. The band were named entertainers of the year at Stonewalls annual awards event at Londons V&A Museum. The judges took account of Gatelys brave decision to come out at the height of the bands success. They also noted that the band made pop history by being the first band to feature a same-sex couple in a video for their song Better. Gately, 33, died last month in his holiday home in Majorca.Gately: High-profile index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html