Nadja Sayej

Nadja Sayej

  • Finding Herpes and Cocaine in the Antwerp Public Library

    Scientists at the Catholic University of Leuven tested ten of the most popular books at the Antwerp library for microbes and bacteria. They found something unexpected.

  • Meet the Guys Behind Top Cities Lists and Urban Beauty Pageants

    We all know beauty pageants—cosmopolitan competitions based on beauty, makeup, and tiaras. While personality, talent, and intelligence might come second to hair and heels, that is not the case in every beauty pageant, especially when it comes to urban...

  • What Does It Mean to Be a Pervert?

    Sex research is a touchy topic. Jesse Bering believes cracking someone’s desires helps understand them fully. He spoke with us about the depths human erotic imagination, “objectum sexuals,” and how he views homophobes as types of pervs.

  • Behind Mansudae: Art from the Biggest Studio in North Korea

    Meet the Italian man who runs a website that sells North Korean art—everything from propaganda posters to landscapes, flower bouquets, and even family portraits. He told us that propaganda posters are the best sellers.

  • Getting to the Gateway to the Underworld and Inners of Alexander Binder

    Binder spent three years making these photos, with endless trips down south to Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Initially inspired by Iceland’s volcanoes, he spent days and nights lurking through Italy’s volcanic wasteland, watching the elemental forces...

  • This Halloween, Burn a Kitten with a Pyropet

    Pyropet is a cat-shaped candle perfectly timed for Halloween: you burn the kitty candle, and as it melts, a surprise is revealed—a charred, devilish skeleton with fangs. We spoke to the designer in Iceland—where they don’t even celebrate Halloween.