Adrienne Mayor is an independent scholar who investigates scientific realities embedded in myth and classical antiquity. Her research looks at ancient "folk science" precursors, alternatives, and parallels to modern scientific methods. Mayor's two books on pre-Darwinian fossil traditions in classical antiquity and in Native America opened a new field within geomythology, and her book on the origins of biological weapons uncovered the ancient roots of biochemical warfare.

Mayor's book, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy was a National Book Award Finalist in 2009. The book is an account of King Mithridates, a scourge of Rome and the world's first experimental toxicologist. Combining military history with the history of science, this is the first biography of Mithridates in English since 1958. Her book The First Fossil Hunters (2000, rev. ed. 2011) explains how ancient Greek and Roman discoveries of mysterious petrified bones of extinct dinosaurs and mastodons led to myths about griffins, giants, and monsters. This book inspired TV documentaries and museum exhibits in Europe and the US. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs (2003, rev. ed. 2009) traces the mythic origins and historical practices of biological warfare, from the legendary Trojan War to real battles in the Roman Empire. Fossil Legends of the First Americans (2005) gathers exciting Native American discoveries and myths about fossils, from tiny shells to enormous dinosaur bones, with stories from more than 45 different tribes, beginning with the Aztecs and Incas. Mayor's book on the myths and realities of ancietn warrior women known as Amazons will be published in 2014 by Princeton University Press.

Mayor gives lectures at conferences and universities across the nation. In May 2007, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Letters by Montana State University, for her work linking ancient myths and paleontology, most recently demonstrating the relationship between Native American knowledge of fossil evidence and for bringing international recognition to the state of Montana and its Indian people. Additionally, she served as a consultant for the exhibit, "Mythic Creatures," which draws on her research and includes some mythic fossil-creatures from her book on paleontology in Greek and Roman times. The exhibit first opened at the American Museum for Natural History (May 2007-January 2008) and is traveling internationally for the next ten years.

Actively engaged in classical folklore scholarship, Mayor is a long-term Visiting Scholar in the Classics Department and the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Program. Mayor's work has been featured on NPR and BBC, the History Channel, and other popular media, such as the New York Times and National Geographic. The History Channel's "Ancient Monster Hunters" is based on Mayor's first book, and numerous popular novelists draw on her findings for their work. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Turkish, and Modern Greek.