  It is not known whether brown dwarfs (stellar-like objects with masses less
than the hydrogen-burning limit, 0.075 Msun) are formed in the same way as
solar-type stars or by some other process. Here we report the clear-cut
identification of a self-gravitating condensation of gas and dust with a mass
in the brown-dwarf regime, made through millimeter interferometric
observations. The level of thermal millimeter continuum emission detected from
this object indicates a mass ~ 0.02-0.03 Msun, while the small radius < 460 AU
and narrow spectral lines imply a dynamical mass of 0.015-0.02 Msun. The
identification of such a pre-brown dwarf core supports models according to
which brown dwarfs are formed in the same manner as hydrogen-burning stars.
