The number of conferences on epigenetics has been increasing in the past decade, underscoring the impact of the field on a variety of areas in biology and medicine. However, the mechanistic role of the epigenome in adaptation and inheritance, and how the environment may impinge on epigenetic control, are topics of growing debate. Those themes were the focus of the inaugural international King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Research Conference on Environmental Epigenetics in Saudi Arabia, where more than 100 participants from 19 countries enjoyed vibrant scientific discussions and a pleasant February breeze from the Red Sea.