It is revealed that Howard is a federal NASA employee on loan to Cal Tech.
Sheldon's T-shirt is a reference to the origin of DC Comics' "The Flash", who gained super-speed when he was doused in a mixture of electrified chemicals after lightning struck his laboratory.
Title reference: the patent application for their invention causes a temporal deterioration in the relationship between Howard, Leonard and Sheldon.
This episode was taped on February 23, 2016.