In the 160,000-year-old fossilized skulls of two adults and a child found in Ethiopia, scientists think they see for the first time the faces of the immediate ancestors of modern humans.

Except for a few archaic characteristics, the skulls are readily recognizable. They are longer than their Neanderthal contemporaries from Eurasia or earlier ancestors. Their midfaces are broad, but the nasal bones are tall and narrow. The brow ridges are less prominent than those displayed in skulls from earlier branches of the family tree. And the cranial vaults are higher and within modern dimensions.

The discovery of the oldest near-modern human remains, announced yesterday, is considered a major step in establishing the time and place for the emergence of anatomically modern Homo sapiens, probably 150,000 years ago in Africa, as previous genetic studies suggested.