Transcript minus Robyn Williams: Now as part of the Sharon season we have a colour she hates but which revolutionised industry and pharmacology. Sharon has been gracing The Science Show for 35 years, before which she presented Nationwide in Canberra. Sharon Carleton, with knickers in a twist: Sharon Carleton: I hate mauve, I hate it with a passion. Ten years of girls' boarding school decked out in mauve tunics, mauve jumper, mauve tie and mauve bloomers gave me a certain antipathy to the colour. Simon Garfield: Well Sharon, I have to say you're not alone in your strong emotions because people either love mauve or hate it. But I think the key thing about the colour is that it's fantastically important because it was the first artificial dye.