Variability and adaptability are necessary for overcoming the challenges of multicellular life. To address this need, nature has evolved a substantial enzymatic toolbox for altering cytosine within the genome. Methylation of the nucleotide cytosine (C) at the 5-position of the base has profound impacts on gene expression and cellular identity. The reverse of this process, DNA demethylation, is equally important for cleaning the genomic slate during embryogenesis or achieving rapid reactivation of previously silenced genes. Although the mechanism of DNA methylation has been rigorously established, active DNA demethylation in mammals has remained enigmatic, as disparate observations have failed to coalesce into a consistent model. Cytosine deamination, oxidation, and base excision repair enzymes have been proposed in a dizzying variety of combinations . Against this backdrop, two reports in this issue, by Ito et al. on page 1300 and He et al. on page 1303 , help bring new clarity to the mechanistic model for DNA demethylation.