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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2013
Wide-field far-infrared/submillimeter continuum maps of molecular clouds by the Herschel Space Observatory GBS and HOBYS surveys are revealing the star-forming substructures that lead to star formation in dense gas. In particular, these maps have revealed the central role in clouds of filaments, likely formed through turbulent motions. These filaments appear to be non-isothermal and fragment into cores only when their column densities exceed a stability threshold. Organizations of filament networks suggest the relative role of turbulence and gravity can be traced in different parts of a cloud, and filament intersections may lead to larger amounts of mass flow that form the precursors of high-mass stars or clusters.