Final answer:
The statement in question is false because translation occurs on ribosomes in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The main difference is that in prokaryotes, translation and transcription can take place simultaneously without a nuclear membrane, whereas in eukaryotes, they are separated by the nuclear envelope.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Translation occurs on ribosomes only in prokaryotes' is false. In both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, ribosomes are the sites of protein synthesis. In prokaryotes, transcription and translation can occur simultaneously because there is no nuclear membrane to separate the two processes. Conversely, in eukaryotes, transcription occurs inside the nucleus and the mRNA transcript must be transported to the cytoplasm where ribosomes then translate it into a protein. This is because the architecture of eukaryotic cells compartmentalizes these processes, with transcription in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm.
It is true that prokaryotic ribosomes are somewhat smaller than eukaryotic ribosomes, but their function is essentially the same—interpreting the mRNA sequence and synthesizing polypeptides accordingly. Despite differences in size, ribosomes across all forms of life show remarkable similarity in structure and sequence, which points to a shared evolutionary origin.