Homo (hoe-moe) , human, flat, angular, and moderately large cell. This is a skin cell - almost certainly of the microscopist. Cells are shed freely as slides or other objects are picked up. The lines within the cells are tracts of cytokeratins which give these shapes their distinctive cells. They are dead, so nuclei and other cytoplasmic organelles are usually not visible. From Davis Mine. Phase contrast.