Question

Which of the following supports the idea that Glycolysis is the oldest step of cellular respiration and evolved in ancient prokaryotes about 3.5 billion years ago?

A) Glycolysis is a highly efficient process.
B) Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm, a location shared by prokaryotes.
C) Glycolysis is an aerobic process that requires oxygen.
D) Glycolysis is unique to eukaryotic cells.

Answer 1

Glycolysis is considered ancient due to its anaerobic nature, occurrence in the shared cytoplasm of all cells, and its presence in nearly all living organisms, suggesting it predates the availability of oxygen and specialized organelles.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process of glycolysis is considered to be one of the oldest metabolic pathways, supporting the idea that it evolved around 3.5 billion years ago in ancient prokaryotes. This assertion is supported by the fact that glycolysis can occur without the presence of oxygen (anaerobic process), which was not available in Earth's early atmosphere. Additionally, glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm, a cellular component shared by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, which suggests that it predates the evolution of mitochondria and other specialized organelles found in eukaryotes. Lastly, nearly all living organisms perform some form of glycolysis, hinting at its universality and ancient origin.