Laughing gas (N2O) is 300 times worse than carbon dioxide (CO2) in connection with the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the depletion of the ozone layer. The nitrogen gas with the amusing name has not been preeminent in the public debate on these issues compared to the chlorine-rich CFC gases along with methane and carbon dioxide. Brand-new research, however, turns all this on its head. For the first time, research results from northwestern Greenland document that thawing permafrost can cause surprisingly high levels of laughing gas in the environment, which may potentially be released into the atmosphere.