ORCID: 0000-0002-8237-4713
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Dr. Jacob Heinz
Technische Universität Berlin
Hardenbergstr. 36A, D-10623 Berlin
Secr. ER 3-2, Room ER 122
heinz[AT]tu-berlin.de
Tel.: +4930 314-79632
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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:
F.C. Fischer, D. Schulze-Makuch, J. Heinz (2024) Microbial preference for chlorate over perchlorate under simulated shallow subsurface Mars-like conditions. Sci Rep 14, 11537, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-62346-y.
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, [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:
Talks:
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. 5th 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? 19th 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. 3rd 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. 2nd 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. 17th 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. 17th 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. 6th Mars Polar Science Conference. September 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland.
*presenting author
Poster:
Heinz, J., Schirmack, J., Airo, A., Kounaves, S.P., and Schulze-Makuch, D. Halotolerance of Planococcus halocryophilus in chloride and perchlorate brines. 18th EANA conference, September 2018, Berlin, Germany.
➥ Best Poster Award
