Using recent dust continuum data , we generate the intrinsic ellipticity distribution of dense , starless molecular cloud cores .
Under the hypothesis that the cores are all either oblate or prolate randomly-oriented spheroids , we show that a satisfactory fit to observations can be obtained with a gaussian prolate distribution having a mean intrinsic axis ratio of 0.54 .
Further , we show that correlations exist between the apparent axis ratio and both the peak intensity and total flux density of emission from the cores , the sign of which again favours the prolate hypothesis .
The latter result shows that the mass of a given core depends on its intrinsic ellipticity .
Monte Carlo simulations are performed to find the best-fit power law of this dependence .
Finally , we show how these results are consistent with an evolutionary scenario leading from filamentary parent clouds to increasingly massive , condensed , and roughly spherical embedded cores .