Claim: The scientist claims that glycolysis was the first metabolic pathway used to produce ATP in the first living organisms.
Evidence: The earliest life forms were unicellular prokaryotes that lacked membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria. They obtained energy from their environment through a process called glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm and does not require oxygen.
Reasoning: The structure of the earliest life forms was favorable for glycolytic pathways because they lacked the specialized structures needed for other metabolic pathways like the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain. Glycolysis is a simpler and more primitive metabolic pathway that does not require oxygen and can occur in the cytoplasm of the cell. Therefore, it was likely the first metabolic pathway used to produce ATP in the earliest life forms.