He diagram shows the genetic code, which cells use to translate a nucleotide sequence into an amino acid sequence in a protein. Scientists have studied a huge number of species and have found the same genetic code in use among nearly all of them.

A diagram of concentric circles shows the genetic code. The letters A, G, C, and U appear in the center of the diagram, and they are repeated in the next two circles. The outermost circle lists the names of amino acids.

Which inference is the most likely explanation for the universal properties of the genetic code?

A. Other, less useful, versions of the genetic code were eliminated gradually throughout the course of evolution.
B. The genetic code evolved very early in the history of life, and it was used by an ancient ancestor of all or nearly all living things.
C. The genetic code evolved relatively recently in bacteria, and then it quickly spread to all living things in all evolutionary lineages.
D. The genetic code evolved early in the history of animal evolution, and then it quickly spread to all other living things in other evolutionary lineages.