Abstract :
Interstellar dust is a key physical ingredient of galaxies, obscuring star formation, regulating the heating and cooling of the gas, and building-up chemical complexity. I will review our current knowledge about grain properties and their evolution, from the perspective of nearby galaxy observations. I will discuss spectral energy distribution modeling, grain opacity, aromatic features and long-wavelength properties. I will then present recent results about cosmic dust evolution, evaluating the efficiencies of the three main evolutionary processes: dust condensation in core-collapse supernova ejecta, grain growth in the ISM and destruction by supernova blast waves. I will end by delineating the most promising prospects in this field.
