(Michael Loccisano/Getty Images North America)

Black don’t crack is more than an African American proverb, it’s also backed by science. A team of Harvard scientists, working with the information of nearly 1 million people, provided by the genetic database 23andme, found that 1 in 10 whites and and 1 in 5 blacks carry a gene that helps them to defy aging.

The gene determines an individual’s ability to fight environmental factors like sun exposure and can also help cells repair themselves.

According to lead researcher, Dr. Alexa Kimball, “Many of us felt that people with darker skin aged better because of more pigment and better photo [sunlight] protection, but we have found there is much more to it than that.”

The Sunday Times reports that the complete study will be presented this week at the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver, Canada.