We’ve always blamed (assumed?) gray hair was some genetic predisposition, but yesterday scientists at University College London published a study that claimed to pinpoint the specific gene that causes this common change in hair color. (Apparently this wasn’t something we knew already.) Called IRF4, the gene—which scientists were already aware caused blonde and light-color hair in people of European descent—is responsible for regulating and producing melanin. As you get older, IRF4 produces lower-than-normal levels of melanin, causing your hair to go gray. The group studied 6,000 people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds to identify the variant, also looking at which genes influence expressions like hair texture and loss.

Knowing which gene causes gray hair could eventually have real-life applications. So, instead of dyeing hair after it goes gray, you could theoretically take a drug that boosts melanin production in IRF4. Newsweek also points out that this knowledge could help in the field of forensics, where DNA is being used in a criminal case.

If this news has you feeling like going gray is out of your hands, rest assured your 60-hour workweek could also be playing a part. Kaustubh Adhikari, lead scientist on the study, told NPR the gene probably accounts for 30% of people with gray hair. The rest, he claims, can be chalked up to unknown genetic influences and environmental factors like stress.

So, while you wait for the miracle pill to arrive, consider meditation. Or just follow the lead of young guys going gray by choice.

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