Final answer:
Glycolysis is a primitive metabolic pathway present in all three domains of life, supporting the idea that it is one of the oldest metabolic pathways and likely present in a common ancestor.
Step-by-step explanation:
Because glycolysis doesn't vary from one pathway to the other, all organisms possess the basic features of glycolysis. Glycolysis is a primitive pathway that is found in all three domains of life: bacteria, eukaryotes, and most archaea. It also occurs in the cytosol and in anaerobic conditions. The fact that nearly all organisms on Earth carry out some form of glycolysis suggests that this mechanism is an ancient universal metabolic process. It supports the idea that glycolysis may have evolved in very early forms of life and is one of the oldest metabolic pathways. The presence of glycolysis in such a wide range of organisms implies that it was probably present in a common ancestor, rather than having evolved multiple separate times.