I am chemist by training (M.Sc.) and have a Ph.D. in astrobiology. As a postdoc at the Astrobiology Research Group, TU Berlin, I am investigating the formation of brines on Mars, e.g. via deliquescence, and their habitability via growth experiments with various halo- and psychrophilic microorganisms through different techniques (CFU, SEM, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) at temperatures ranging from 40°C to -50°C. Additionally, life detection experiments are carried out as well as experiments in our Mars simulation chamber. The experimental studies are part the following research projects:

• Microbial Survival and Viability in Saline Environments on Mars (BRINES)
• Habitability of Martian Environments (HOME) [2014 - 2019]

Publications:

J. Heinz, J. Doellinger, D. Maus, A. Schneider, P. Lasch, H.-P. Grossart, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2022) Perchlorate-Specific Proteomic Stress Responses of Debaryomyces hansenii Could Enable Microbial Survival in Martian Brines. Environmental Microbiology, doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16152.

J. Heinz, V. Rambags, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2021) Physicochemical Parameters Limiting Growth of Debaryomyces hansenii in Solutions of Hygroscopic Compounds and Their Effects on the Habitability of Martian Brines. Life, 11 (1194), doi:10.3390/life11111194.

Schulze-Makuch, D.; Lipus, D.; Arens, F.L.; Baqué, M.; Bornemann, T.L.V.; de Vera, J.-P.; Flury, M.; Frösler, J.; Heinz, J.; Hwang, Y.; Kounaves, S.P.; Mangelsdorf, K.; Meckenstock, R.U.; Pannekens, M.; Probst, A.J.; Sáenz, J.S.; Schirmack, J.; Schloter, M.; Schmitt-Kopplin, P.; Schneider, B.; Uhl, J.; Vestergaard, G.; Valenzuela, B.; Zamorano, P.; Wagner, D. (2021) Microbial Hotspots in Lithic Microhabitats Inferred from DNA Fractionation and Metagenomics in the Atacama Desert. Microorganisms, 9 (1038); doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9051038

A.C. Waajen, J. Heinz, A. Airo, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2020) Physicochemical salt solution parameters limit the survival of Planococcus halocryophilus in Martian cryobrines. Front Microbiol, 11:1284, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01284.

J. Heinz, T. Krahn, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2020) A New Record for Microbial Perchlorate Tolerance: Fungal Growth in NaClO₄ Brines and its Implications for Putative Life on Mars. Life, 10 (5), doi: 10.3390/life10050053.

J. Heinz, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2020) Thiophenes on Mars: Biotic or Abiotic Origin? Astrobiology, 20 (4), doi: 10.1089/ast.2019.2139.

D. Maus, J. Heinz, J. Schirmack, A. Airo, S.P. Kounaves, D. Wagner, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2020) Methanogenic Archaea Can Produce Methane in Deliquescence-Driven Mars Analog Environments. Scientific Reports, 10 (6); doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56267-4

J. Heinz, A.C. Waajen, A. Airo, A. Alibrandi, J. Schirmack, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2019) Bacterial Growth in Chloride and Perchlorate Brines: Halotolerances and Salt Stress Responses of Planococcus halocryophilus. Astrobiology, 19 (11) 1377-1387, doi: 10.1089/ast.2019.2069.

J. Heinz, J. Schirmack, A. Airo, S.P. Kounaves, and D. Schulze-Makuch (2018) Enhanced Microbial Survivability in Subzero Brines. Astrobiology, 18 (9) 1171–1180, doi: 10.1089/ast.2017.1805.

D. Schulze-Makuch, D. Wagner, S. P. Kounaves, […] J. Heinz, et al. [45 co-authors in total] (2018) Transitory microbial habitat in the hyperarid Atacama Desert. PNAS, 115 (11) 2670-2675; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1714341115.

J. Heinz, D. Schulze-Makuch, and S.P. Kounaves (2016), Deliquescence-induced wetting and RSL-like darkening of a Mars analogue soil containing various perchlorate and chloride salts. Geophys. Res. Lett., 43 (10) 4880-4884, doi: 10.1002/2016GL068919.

E. Hennings, J. Heinz, H.Schmidt, W. Voigt (2013) Freezing and Hydrate Formation in Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate Solutions. Z. anorg. allg. Chem., 639 (6) 922–927, doi: 10.1002/zaac.201300040.

 

Doctoral thesis:

Heinz, J. (2019) Deliquescence-induced formation and habitability of chloride and perchlorate brines. Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technische Universität Berlin. https://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-8847.

 

Conference contributions (selection):

Talks:

Heinz, J.*, Doellinger, J., Maus, D., Schneider, A., Lasch, P., Grossart, H.-P., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Perchlorate-induced proteomic stress responses of Debaryomyces hansenii and their consequences for the habitability of Martian brines. Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022, September 2022, Granada, Spain.

Heinz, J.*, Doellinger, J., Maus, D., Schneider, A., Lasch, P., Grossart, H.-P., and Schulze-Makuch, D. The Chaotropicity of Perchlorate and Its Implications for the Habitability of Mars. AbSciCon 2022, May 2022, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Heinz, J.*, and Schulze-Makuch, D. Investigating Perchlorate-Specific Stress Responses in Yeast Cells Using a Proteomic Approach. 5^th Annual Workshop of the Deutsche Astrobiologische Gesellschaft e.V. (DAbG). September 2021, Essen, Germany.

Heinz, J.*, Waajen, A.C., Airo, A., Schirmack, J., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Are Perchlorate Brines Habitable? 19^th EANA conference, September 2019, Orléans, France.

Heinz, J., Waajen, A.C., Airo, A., Schirmack, J., and Schulze-Makuch, D.* Microbial Survival in Brines and its Relevance to the Near-Surface Habitability of Mars. AbSciCon 2019, June 2019, Bellevue, WA, USA.

Heinz, J.*, Schirmack, J., Airo, A., Kounaves, S.P., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Halotolerance of Planococcus halocryophilus in chloride and perchlorate brines. 3^rd AbGradE (Astrobiology Graduates in Europe) Symposium, September 2018, Berlin, Germany.

Heinz, J.*, Schirmack, J., Airo, A., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Microbial Viability in Low Temperature Brines. 2^nd Annual Workshop of the Deutsche Astrobiologische Gesellschaft e.V. (DAbG). November 2017, Potsdam, Germany.

Heinz, J.*, Schirmack, J., Airo, A., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Enhanced Microbial Survival in Brines at Subzero Temperatures. 17^th EANA conference, August 2017, Aarhus, Denmark.

Maus, D.*, Heinz, J., Schirmack, J., Airo, A., Kounaves, S.P., Wagner, D., Schulze-Makuch, D. Brines formed by Deliquescence as a Habitat for Methanogenic Archaea. 17^th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference, August 2017, Aarhus, Denmark.

Heinz, J., Schirmack, J., Maus, D., S.P. Kounaves, S.P., Wagner, D., Schulze-Makuch, D.* Investigation of the Formation and Habitability of Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) like Environments. Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2017. April 2017, Mesa, Arizona, USA.

Heinz, J., Schulze-Makuch, D.*, Kounaves, S.P. Formation of Recurrent Slope Lineae on Mars by Rewetting of Salt Deposits Formed in an Earlier Wetter Climate. 6^th Mars Polar Science Conference. September 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland.                         

*presenting author

 

Posters:

Heinz, J., Kloss, L. D. F., Gries, A., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Perchlorate Stress Responses Of All Three Domains Of Life. Inaugural Forming and Exploring Habitable Worlds Meeting, November 2022, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Kloss, L. D. F., Heinz, J., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Perchlorate-induced stress responses of Escherichia coli and their implications for the habitability of Mars, Europlanet Science Congress 2022, September 2022, Granada, Spain, doi: 10.5194/epsc2022-692.

Gries, A., Heinz, J., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Perchlorate stress responses of Haloferax volcanii and implications on the habitability of Mars, Europlanet Science Congress 2022, September 2022, Granada, Spain, doi: 10.5194/epsc2022-550.

Heinz, J., Schirmack, J., Airo, A., Kounaves, S.P., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Halotolerance of Planococcus halocryophilus in chloride and perchlorate brines. 18^th EANA conference, September 2018, Berlin, Germany. ➥ Best Poster Award