That science has benefited immensely from technological advances in the last few decades, or even the last century, is a fact. But one research tool that many scientists would argue need not be improved is the handwritten field notebook.

Even as powerful digital cameras and high-definition video recorders have enabled scientists to capture more visual data than ever before, there's something about a drawing that cannot be captured digitally. And the act of making and annotating an illustration itself can help a scientist better understand a subject better.

The new book Field Notes on Science & Nature, edited by Harvard University biologist Michael Canfield, makes a compelling case for the value of scientific journals and field notebooks and contains some beautiful and impressive examples of the craft.

"The tradition of field notes that grew into its own genre over the past three centuries is still relevant to anyone who studies nature," Canfield writes. "Although the diversification of field pursuits and the complexity of their studies have expanded the scope and methods for field documentation, the basic role and importance of field notes are unchanged."

We've chosen some of our favorite examples from the book for this gallery. But be warned: If you are a scientist who is currently pursuing another career -- like, maybe, journalism -- these illustrations may make want to dust off your boots, grab a notebook and head back into the field.

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"The fact is, scientific illustrations can achieve certain things that a photograph cannot," writes scientific illustrator Jenny Keller. "A good illustration can portray difficult-to-photograph or rarely witnessed events."

"Sketches created while in the field can also record valuable information -- sometimes even more reliably than photography," Keller writes. "Although cameras are indispensable for capturing fleeting events and complex detail (and I would not go into the field without one), they cannot do everything. Colors in photographs are typically (sometimes dramatically) inaccurate, proportions are often distorted, and key features of the species may not be recorded clearly (or captured at all)."

Illustration: The wide range of color saturation that can be created with high-quality colored pencils is evident in this drawing of a basilisk lizard made from a captive specimen at the California Academy of Sciences. (Jenny Keller)