For decades, it’s been used as a gentle dig at people who earnest, well-meaning, maybe a little over the top, and care deeply about the natural world. But here is what we now know with a fair degree of scientific certainty: those tree huggers are onto something.

How does going to a gallery or getting out your finger-paints affect your DNA? Admittedly, it sounds more like science fiction than science fact, but none the less, the observed changes are measurable and real. And while the mechanisms at play are not yet fully understood, the research points in a clear direction.