****************************************************** PR # 41023 Recent ROSAT and ASCA observations of nearby molecular clouds have shown that X-ray emission starts very early in stellar evolution. Whereas X-ray emission from T Tauri stars is now fairly well understood in terms of magnetic activity, the high-energy (up to 10 keV) radiation from protostars is not understood. The X-ray emission from young stars may have profound implications on star formation, envelope collapse, and outflow acceleration at early stages. We want to confirm the detection of protostars, which is still tentative because of extinction/confusion problems. We take advantage of the ASCA's unique capability to detect higher-energy X-rays (which suffer less extinction), but selecting isolated protostars (to avoid confusion with closeby young stars, as has been the case until now). ******************************************************