Sabrina Sholts is a Curator of Biological Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). She is the Director of the Smithsonian Institution Bio-Imaging Research (SIBIR) Center, Lead Curator of the Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World exhibition, and a World Economic Forum Young Scientist. Her research uses museum collections to explore intersections of human, animal, and environmental health. She has published widely in academic journals such as American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Environmental Health Perspectives, JAMA, PNAS,Scientific Reports, Toxicology, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, and written for popular audiences in Scientific American and Smithsonian Magazine. She received her PhD in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara and was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Human Evolution Research Center (HERC) and at Stockholm University in the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry.
Public Biography
Sabrina Sholts is a Curator of Biological Anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Her research uses museum collections of biological remains to study environmental factors of health in the past and present. She received her PhD in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara and was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley (Integrative Biology) and Stockholm University (Biophysics and Biochemistry).
Berntsson, Elina, Paul, Suman, Vosough, Faraz, Sholts, Sabrina B., Jarvet, Juri, Roos, Per M., Barth, Andreas, Graslund, Astrid, and Warmlander, Sebastian. 2021. "Lithium ions display weak interaction with amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides and have minor effects on their aggregation." Acta Biochimica Polonica 68 (2):169-179. https://doi.org/10.18388/abp.2020_54932021
Sholts, Sabrina B. and Lippert, Dorothy T. 2021. "Repatriation and erasing the past." American Journal of Physical Anthropologyhttps://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.244002021
Eller, Andrea R., Canington, Stephanie L., Saiyed, Sana T., Austin, Rita M., Hofman, Courtney A., and Sholts, Sabrina B. 2021. "What does it mean to be wild? Assessing human influence on the environments of nonhuman primate specimens in museum collections." Ecology and Evolutionhttps://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.80062021
Roos, Elin, Warmlander, Sebastian K. T. S., Meyer, Jeremy, Sholts, Sabrina B., Jarvet, Juri, Graslund, Astrid, and Roos, Per M. 2020. "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis After Exposure to Manganese from Traditional Medicine Procedures in Kenya." Biological trace element researchhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02501-42020
Dong, Xiaolin, Svantesson, Teodor, Sholts, Sabrina B., Wallin, Cecilia, Jarvet, Juri, Graslund, Astrid, and Warmlander, Sebastian K. T. S. 2019. "Copper ions induce dityrosine-linked dimers in human but not in murine islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP/amylin)." Biochemical and biophysical research communications 510 (4):520-524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.01.1202019
Austin, Rita M., Sholts, Sabrina B., Williams, LaShanda, Kistler, Logan, and Hofman, Courtney A. 2019. "To curate the molecular past, museums need a carefully considered set of best practices." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116 (5):1471-1474. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.18220381162019
Smith, Kevin N., Vellanoweth, René L., Sholts, Sabrina B., and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2018. "Residue analysis, use-wear patterns, and replicative studies indicate that sandstone tools were used as reamers when producing shell fishhooks on San Nicolas Island, California." Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 20:502-505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.05.0112018
Wallin, Cecilia, Sholts, Sabrina B., Österlund, Nicklas, Luo, Jinghui, Jarvet, Jü, Roos, Per M., Ilag, Leopold, Gräslund, Astrid, and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2017. "Alzheimer's disease and cigarette smoke components: effects of nicotine, PAHs, and Cd(II), Cr(III), Pb(II), Pb(IV) ions on amyloid-? peptide aggregation." Scientific Reports 7 (1):https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13759-52017
Sholts, Sabrina B., Smith, Kevin, Wallin, Cecilia, Ahmed, Trifa M., and Warmlander, Sebastian K. T. S. 2017. "Ancient water bottle use and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among California Indians: a prehistoric health risk assessment." Environmental Health 16:61-61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0261-12017
Lucey, Daniel, Cummins, Hannah, and Sholts, Sabrina B. 2017. "Congenital Zika Syndrome in 2017." Journal of the American Medical Association 317 (13):1368-1369. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.15532017
Reiner, Whitney B., Masao, Fidelis, Sholts, Sabrina B., Songita, Agustino Venance, Stanistreet, Ian, Stollhofen, Harald, Taylor, R. E., and Hlusko, Leslea J. 2017. "OH 83: A new early modern human fossil cranium from the Ndutu beds of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164 (3):533-545. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.232922017
Lucey, Daniel R., Sholts, Sabrina B., Donaldson, Halsie, White, Joseph, and Mitchell, Stephen R. 2017. "One health education for future physicians in the pan-epidemic "Age of Humans"." International journal of infectious diseases: IJID 64:1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2017.08.0072017
Petaros, Anja, Garvi, Heather M., Sholts, Sabrina B., Schlager, Stefan, and Warmlander, Sebastian K. T. S. 2017. "Sexual dimorphism and regional variation in human frontal bone inclination measured via digital 3D models." Legal medicine 29:53-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2017.10.0012017
Romero, Ashly N., Herlin, Maria, Finnila, Mikko, Korkalainen, Merja, Hakansson, Helen, Viluksela, Matti, and Sholts, Sabrina B. 2017. "Skeletal and dental effects on rats following in utero/lactational exposure to the non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl PCB 180." Plos One 12 (9):e0185241-e0185241. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.01852412017
Sholts, Sabrina B., Gingerich, Joseph A. M., Schlager, Stefan, Stanford, Dennis J., and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2017. "Tracing social interactions in Pleistocene North America via 3D model analysis of stone tool asymmetry." PloS One 12 (7):https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.01799332017
Sholts, Sabrina B., Bell, Joshua A., and Rick, Torben C. 2016. "Ecce Homo: Science and Society Need Anthropological Collections." Trends in Ecology and Evolution 31 (8):580-583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.05.0022016
Wallin, Cecilia, Kulkarni, Yashraj S., Abelein, Axel, Jarvet, Jü, Liao, Qinghua, Strodel, Birgit, Olsson, Lisa, Luo, Jinghui, Abrahams, Jan Pieter, Sholts, Sabrina B., Roos, Per M., Kamerlin, Shina C. L., Gräslund, Astrid, and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2016. "Characterization of Mn(II) ion binding to the amyloid-? peptide in Alzheimer's disease." Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 38:183-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2016.03.0092016
Zarina, Gunita, Sholts, Sabrina B., Tichinin, Alina, Rudovica, Vita, Viksna, Arturs, Engizere, Austra, Muiznieks, Vitolds, Bartelink, Eric J., and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2016. "Cribra orbitalia as a potential indicator of childhood stress: Evidence from paleopathology, stable C, N, and O isotopes, and trace element concentrations in children from a 17th-18th century cemetery in Jekabpils, Latvia." Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 38:131-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2016.05.0082016
Tiiman, Ann, Luo, Jinghui, Wallin, Cecilia, Olsson, Lisa, Lindgren, Joel, Jarvet, Jϋ, Per, Roos, Sholts, Sabrina B., Rahimipour, Shai, Abrahams, Jan Pieter, Karlström, Amelie Eriksson, Gräslund, Astrid, and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2016. "Specific Binding of Cu(II) Ions to Amyloid-Beta Peptides Bound to Aggregation-Inhibiting Molecules or SDS Micelles Creates Complexes that Generate Radical Oxygen Species." Journal of Alzheimer's disease: JAD 54 (3):971-982. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-1604272016
Sholts, Sabrina B., Korkalainen, Merja, Simanainen, Ulla, Miettinen, Hanna M., Håkansson, Helen, and Viluksela, Matti. 2015. "In utero/lactational and adult exposures to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) show differential effects on craniofacial development and growth in rats." Toxicology 337:30-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2015.08.0102015
Bartelink, Eric J., Sholts, Sabrina B., Milligan, Colleen F., Van Deest, Traci L., and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2015. "A Case of Contested Cremains Analyzed Through Metric and Chemical Comparison." Journal of forensic sciences 60 (4):1068-1073. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.127342015
Báez-Molgado, Socorro, Bartelink, Eric J., Jellema, Lyman M., Spurlock, Linda, and Sholts, Sabrina B. 2015. "Classification of Pelvic Ring Fractures in Skeletonized Human Remains." Journal of forensic sciences 60 (s1):s171-s176. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.126132015
Sholts, Sabrina B., Esteban, Javier, Herlin, Maria, Viluksela, Matti, and Håkansson, Helen. 2015. "Craniofacial form is altered by chronic adult exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in Han/Wistar and Long-Evans rats with different aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) structures." Toxicology Reports 2:472-481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2014.12.0072015
Petaros, Anja, Sholts, Sabrina B., Slaus, Mario, Bosnar, Alan, and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2015. "Evaluating sexual dimorphism in the human mastoid process: A viewpoint on the methodology." Clinical Anatomy 28 (5):593-601. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.225452015
Gingerich, Joseph A. M., Sholts, Sabrina B., Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S., and Stanford, Dennis J. 2014. "Fluted point manufacture in eastern North America: an assessment of form and technology using traditional metrics and 3D digital morphometrics." World Archaeology 46 (1):101-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2014.8924372014
Garvin, Heather M., Sholts, Sabrina B., and Mosca, Laurel A. 2014. "Sexual dimorphism in human cranial trait scores: Effects of population, age, and body size." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 154 (2):259-269. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.225022014
Sholts, Sabrina B., Stanford, Dennis J., Flores, Louise M., and Wärmländer, Sebastian K. T. S. 2012. "Flake scar patterns of Clovis points analyzed with a new digital morphometrics approach: Evidence for direct transmission of technological knowledge across early North America." Journal of Archaeological Science 39 (9):3018-3026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.04.0492012
Activities
Responsible Collections Areas
Biological Anthropology: Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America (West)
