This study considers how students change their coherent conceptual understanding of natural selection through a hands-on simulation. The results show that most students change their understanding. In addition, some students also underwent a transformative experience and used their new knowledge in a leisure time activity. These transformative experiences appear in different categories where students find value both towards biological content, societal value and individual identity. Finally there is a discussion on how to transfer characteristics from the setting of this study to other educational settings in biology and science in general.