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What is a cloud core? Do they exist? Are they static or dynamic objects? I will present some highlights from recent research on low-mass and high-mass star formation that are addressing questions of the origin, the physical and chemical characteristics, and the evolution of cores. I will be referring to both observational and theoretical studies and will also try to point out connections to the larger scales, to the structures and processes that give birth to the cores, and towards the smaller scales, where protostars are formed and causal links must exist between the core properties, the stellar initial mass function, and the stellar multiplicity. I will end the presentation with a list of some open questions related to cores.
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